Amazing and Sorta Kinda Healthy-Ish! Onion Rings

Onion Rings! And not even fried ones!

Cooked in a bit of oil and baked. So, that MAY mean fried. But it's not REALLY fried, right?

If it means you can eat more, I promise you want to go with me on this.

This spectacular recipe is from the similarly spectacular blog Brown Eyed Baker, for both the onion rings and the dipping sauce (seen almost dripping off my plate there), and while I wasn't sure I could pull it off, even I could make these!

And well too!

I DID make some errors in judgment. I have a few oil burns and... well, I burnt plastic onto my glass casserole pan. But besides those errors and a near meltdown I had while slicing the onions up and dipping them all which made a mess all over my counters....

OK. So I admit this recipe isn't clutz friendly. But it's clutz POSSIBLE. And you need to try it because, for a normal person, I'd bet this is an easy recipe (sounds easy enough on paper!) and if you can make it, you'll be both proud and enchanted by onions once more.

Plus, the dipping sauce is the tangy goodness usually associated with the onion blossoms served at popular chains so, you probably should be able to make your own.

So make and enjoy :)

Oven-Fried Onion Rings

-2 medium (or 1 large) sweet onions, sliced ½-inch thick

-¼ cup all-purpose flour

-½ teaspoon salt

-¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

-¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

-½ cup buttermilk

-1 egg

-¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

-1½ cups crushed potato chips (kettle-cooked chips, if available)

-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 450. The recipe doesn't say anything about how to slice up the onions and, being a clutz, I found this rather difficult. I ended up cutting them 1/2 inch thick (as mentioned) by holding them in place with a towl to avoid slips and cuts. However (safely) you manage this, just do so with a good chunking happening (no wimpy onions!) and make sure you break them up into rings. 

Combine the flour/salt/black & cayenne pepper in a bowl. In a separate container, combine the buttermilk, egg, and additional flour. Whisk until it becomes a dense, smooth, batter. In a third and final container, put the crushed potato chips. I would put in just a portion at a time so that the chips don't get soggy and unworkable as you proceed with the dipping process.

Dipping process goes as follows: seasoned flour, batter (drip/shake off excess), coat with crushed chips. When you have them finished, set them on a large plate. Repeat until all your rings are coated. 

The original recipe uses a baking sheet/parchment paper. I decided to use a glass casserole dish which worked BEAUTIFULLY. Put your veg oil into the pan and carefully coat. Place in oven (should be at 450 by now) for 8 minutes. Remove CAREFULLY!!!

Working QUICKLY but SAFELY, put the onion rings in the dish and return to oven for 8 more minutes. Flip the rings and bake for another 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. They should sizzle when put into oil.

While baking, prep your sauce!

Dipping Sauce

-½ cup mayonnaise

-2 teaspoons ketchup

-2 Tablespoons horseradish

-¼ teaspoon paprika

-¼ teaspoon salt

-1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

-1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

-Dash ground black pepper

-Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve with your rings! Delicious.