Chile eats hot dogs with a seriousness that puts most countries to shame, and calls them completos, the complete ones. The story usually told is that a Santiago restaurateur, Eduardo Bahamondes, brought the idea home from the United States in the 1920s and, finding that the plain version did not catch on, began loading it with local toppings until it became something entirely Chilean. Of the many styles, the completo italiano is the classic: green avocado, red tomato and white mayonnaise, the colors of the Italian flag, piled so high the sausage almost disappears.

Completos are sold at soda fountains, stadium stands and street carts, and eaten at every hour. The avocado layer is not a garnish but the main event, so be generous. For race day, set out the toppings and let everyone build their own; it is the only kind of cooking that improves with a crowd in the kitchen.

The toppings

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 3/4 cup (170 g) mayonnaise

Method

1. Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds and watery centers with a teaspoon, and cut the flesh into small dice, about 1/4 inch (6 mm). Toss with a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Halve the avocados, remove the pits and scoop the flesh into the second bowl. Add the lemon juice and salt and mash with the fork until smooth with a few small lumps.
3. Spoon the mayonnaise into the piping bag or zip top bag and snip a small corner.

The completos

Ingredients

• 6 frankfurters (vienesas)
• 6 large soft hot dog buns

Method

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, lower the heat so it barely bubbles and add the sausages. Heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Split the buns along the top without cutting through. Warm them for 30 seconds in a microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel, or for 3 minutes in a 350°F (180°C) oven.
3. Lay a sausage in each bun. Spoon a generous line of diced tomato along the sausage, then spread a thick layer of avocado over the top, covering it from end to end. Pipe a zigzag of mayonnaise over the avocado.

More from Chile