MAY IT PLEASE THE PALATE: Dot's Pretzels

Here is my shopping list from the other day: two loaves of bread, a package of buns, a box of crackers, potato chips, smoked cheddar, and Dot’s pretzels. I am definitely opting for comfort food these days.

I was turned on to Dot’s pretzels a few years ago. After a grueling day of golf, my friend and I visited a local haunt for happy hour. My favorite bartender, Pat (now sadly retired), put out a trio of happy hour snacks – peanuts, crackers, and pretzel sticks. Normally, the latter are but salty foils for cold beverages – adequate, but forgettable.

Not these. I took one bite and was blown away by the flavor. Pat explained that he wanted to upgrade the bar’s offerings, so he regularly picked up a bag of Dot’s at the local hardware store. Yes, at the time, Dot’s was hard to find, except for the local Ace Hardware.

I picked up a bag on the way home. Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels started less than a decade ago when Dorothy Henke, retired from her North Dakota home and living in Arizona, started tinkering in her kitchen. She spiced up some typical store-bought pretzel sticks, and friends noticed. When one persuaded her to make 30 or 40 bags to give out as holiday gifts, people went crazy.

“People would take a sample and think, ‘What the heck, these are just stupid pretzels,’” mused Dot in an interview. “And then they’d taste them and they’d go, ‘Omigod.’”

Back home in Velva, North Dakota, she grew the business conservatively, driving the product herself to convenience stores throughout the state. (Though she had always gone by Dorothy, folks thought the name sounded too old-ladyish for the brand.) An Ace Hardware rep was especially enthusiastic, and that’s why Ace is still the place where you can reliably find Dot’s.

The proprietary blend of butter flavor, garlic, and pepper is a secret, but gives this product its “wow” factor. Dot’s has since expanded its product line to include a few other flavors, pretzel crumbles for recipes, and a spice rub. She even sells dark and white chocolate bars with pretzel pieces.

But the original recipe pretzel sticks are her staple. Adoring fans post recipes on Dot’s website that run the gamut from blue cheese bacon and jalapeno poppers, to fish coating, to cheesecake and strawberry pie. I have used them in everything from vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate, to macaroni and cheese (recipe below).

The precise cheeses and amounts you use aren’t critical. Use enough smoked cheese so that the flavor comes through but doesn’t overwhelm. As you are making the bechamel sauce and stirring in the different cheeses, taste frequently to make sure you have a good flavor combination. (Plus the sauce tastes like heaven.) The Dot’s topping ties it all together at the end.

Macaroni and Smoked Cheese with Dot’s Pretzels

5 tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups milk
2-3 oz. blue cheese
2-3 oz. smoked cheddar
2-3 oz. regular white cheddar
2-3 oz. Swiss
2-3 oz. Brie or Affinois
½ tsp smoked paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. pasta (penne or shells), cooked al dente and drained
2 oz. parmesan
2 oz. Dot’s original recipe pretzels, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

2. Cut or crumble the cheeses into small pieces that will melt easily.

3. Place a medium size saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the milk – the roux will soak it up. Cook, stirring constantly, until you have the consistency of cream. This is a bechamel sauce.

4. Whisk in the first five cheeses. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheeses are melted. Season with smoked paprika; add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Combine the cheese sauce and cooked pasta and mix well. Pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan, a little more smoked paprika, and the Dot’s.

6. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

I owe it all to Pat - you never forget the person who first turns you on to Dot’s pretzels. You’re welcome, and spread the word.
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Nick Roumel is a principal with Nacht & Roumel PC, a firm in Ann Arbor specializing in employment and civil rights litigation. He has many years of varied restaurant and catering experience, has taught Greek cooking classes, and wrote a food/restaurant column for “Current” magazine in Ann Arbor. Follow him @nickroumel (Twitter, Facebook) or @nroumel (Instagram).