These are the sort of onion rings I mentioned in yesterday's post - the ones I made to go with my Buffalo Ball sandwiches. I had one onion left over, so yesterday afternoon I cooked up another batch and took pictures so I could show you how little what I did to make them.
For a small batch you will need:
One large sweet onion - Vidalia if they're in season, otherwise, just pick the best looking sweet onion in the store.
Buttermilk. Easiest is to buy the quart size, but if you can't do that for some reason, you can also find powdered buttermilk in the baking section of most grocery stores.
Each package gets mixed with a cup of water, so if you're going to go this route, you'll need at least two cups, and three would be better.
This powder is easy to use, and you can just buy some to have on hand. When you need it for the onion rings, just whisk the powder with the water...
and ta-da!
Buttermilk.
Now, peel the onion and trim the ends a little bit...
And then slice the onion into rings approximately half an inch wide.
Separate the rings and place them in the buttermilk. Soak them for an hour or so in the fridge.
When you're ready to make the onion rings, fill a large pot about half full with vegetable oil and heat to about 350-360 degrees F.
While the oil is heating, pour some flour in a shallow bowl or pan, add salt and pepper, and whisk together to combine.
You'll also need a slotted spoon or tongs and a plate with several layers of paper towels.
Set up your bowl of onions and buttermilk, the bowl of flour, and an empty bowl (the on-deck circle, so to speak) near your hot oil. Take the onion rings, a few at a time, out of the buttermilk, dredge them in the flour and pile them on the empty plate.
Fry in small batches, turning the rings over about halfway through, until they are crisp and dark golden brown. Remove from the oil, place on the paper towels to drain, and sprinkle with salt immediately. Transfer to another plate in a warm oven, if desired, until all are cooked and ready to serve.
These come out crisp and light. My husband said last night that he likes these better than the heavily coated ones you get that are basically thick, fried batter with a little string of onion running through the middle.
To accompany the rings, I made a sauce of mayo and sriracha and lemon juice - you could also use a hot chipotle sauce mixed with the mayo as well. Just a thought.
Whatever you do, serve the onion rings as soon after cooking them as you can. Fried foods don't stay crisp forever, and these are definitely meant to be eaten the day they are cooked. They don't reheat to the same degree of crispness.
Enjoy!
