Originally published on April 3, 2014
Ya know those delicious fried onions that you put on green bean casserole (or just to eat as a snack?) The ones that you can find among the condiments in the grocery store, and that come in a can? Well, I personally don’t believe you should ever eat onions from a can, even if they have been fried to a delicious golden brown. Instead, make them yourself at home, eat as many as you want, and take deep satisfaction from knowing that you’ve done a great job. It’s really easy to do, just give yourself a little time as the onions need to soak for quite awhile. And don’t worry if those rounds break up a bit during the process. I think the fact that these look more like broken onions are what makes them even better than onion rings for me.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, left whole and sliced into very (very!) thin rounds
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
1.) In a shallow casserole dish, combine the milk and the vinegar until it becomes thick, and don’t worry if it starts to look curdled. You’re essentially making buttermilk. Separate the onion slices into individual rounds, and place them in the milk mixture so that none are sticking out. Leave the onion rings soaking for one hour.
2.) Combine the flour, one teaspoon of salt, the black pepper, and the cayenne pepper on a plate or in a bowl. Meanwhile, heat a deep fryer or a Dutch oven filled with about 8 cups of vegetable oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or you can do my test. Fill the Dutch oven with oil so it comes up about halfway, and place over medium-high heat. When you place the straight end of a wooden spoon into the oil and little bubbles start running up the side of it, the oil is ready.)
3.) Taking a few onion rounds at a time, remove them from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Place in the flour and toss lightly to ensure the entire onion has been coated in flour. Then place carefully into the oil and repeat with remaining onion slices until all have been fried. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to allow extra oil to drain. Sprinkle with salt.
4.) Serve and enjoy!