Crunchy, tasty tostones.

Because this specific batch was to substitute the crunchy crispiness of French fries, I squashed the plantains a bit thinner than what is common for tostones. I was going for a version that highlighted a bit more crunchiness, and I got it. Do what feels right for your taste though. I’d recommend squishing and frying a couple at different thicknesses to get a feel for how crispy they get.

I’m not sure why it didn’t dawn on me at the time, but I didn’t even think about cutting them into French fry shapes. I was just hooked on making tostones and really needed to see that through. They were great and I don’t regret not doing plantain-french-fries except maybe for the novelty factor.

I still think I may try to cut some into French fry lengths at some point to see how that works out. Click through for the recipe and to see how I made these.

Tostones
I normally go with one plantain per person to make sure everybody has enough. Not everyone eats that much though. As with any fried food, they are best the day they are made.
Ingredients
3 unripe plantains (firm and green)
2-3 cups of vegetable or canola oil

Directions
1. Cut off the ends of the plantains and cut the plantains into approximately one inch segments. Score the skin on each side and peel off the skin. The skin is like a tougher version of a banana peel.
2. Heat about two or three cups of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. (FYI, cast iron rocks.) Once nice and hot (a pinch of flour in it will sizzle and dissipate quickly), add the rounds of plantains. The oil should come up about half way up the plantains. Fry until lightly golden brown, flip, then fry the other side until it gets light golden brown too. Remove them from the oil and allow to cool slightly. (You can reduce the heat on the oil for now, you’ll need to bring it back to the same temperature again later.)
3. Smash them with the base of a plate or bowl. Just put each round on a cutting board and press down on them until they get flat. (You can do this in your hands too, but I find that a piece of parchment paper on either side and using a plate/bowl is great.)
4. Optional seasoning: Soak each flattened round in salt water for about a minute. The water should be salty like sea water. Pat them dry, then continue with the next step.
5. Re-add the tostones back to the hot oil and fry again for about five minutes, until crisp (flip them once). Once fried, drain them on a couple layers of paper towels. If you skipped step 4, sprinkle lightly with salt.

Let's see... nuts, potatoes, mixed greens, French vinaigrette. Yeah, I'll have that.

The salad itself is deceptively simple for something that packs this much flavor. The tender gesiers are basically umami delivery mechanisms that punch up all the flavors. The wonderful savoriness is cut by the earthy mixed greens and the light acidity of the vinaigrette. A handful of fresh nuts goes a long way, rounding out the textures in the salad.

Oh, I guess I haven’t mentioned what a gesier is yet (and that’s not entirely accidental). People enjoy this dish until I spoil it by telling them what they are eating. Don’t worry though, it’s just duck. Well, it’s not just duck, it’s the duck’s gizzard. I know, I know, that might sound a bit odd, but this is actually pretty good. I guess the best way to describe it would be to imagine if the dark meat of a duck (or chicken) was more, uh, just more. It’s very flavorful, so you don’t need much. The amount in the salad is great because it’s not overpowering and well balanced by the other flavors.

Don’t be nervous though, if this isn’t your thing I won’t surprise you with a plate of it if you come over for dinner. But if you want to try it, I think you’ll be quite pleased. (Give me a heads-up and I’ll try to get a hold of some more!)

My mouth is watering as I type this. This looks so good. Savory, slightly bitter from the salad, a touch of acid from the vinegar offseting everything... I really need to get some more of these.

In case you do find a good source and want to make it, here are two ways I suggest serving it. The first (image directly above) is an extremely basic salad that puts the gesier front and center. The second method (see the image at top of page) has more ingredients, including potatoes and nuts, which complement the rest of the flavors.

Simple Gesier Salad
Ingredients
about 2 gesiers per person
mixed baby greens or salad de mâche
basic french vinaigrette (See this post for the recipe)

Directions
Salad de mâche was used here.
1. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cut the gesiers into wedges or slices. Add some oil to the skillet and toss in the gesiers. Cook for several minutes until slightly browned.
2. Make the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add the salad and mix to coat with a thin layer of dressing.
3. Serve on the plate with the gesiers on top of the salad.

If you have any crusty French bread, serve that along side it. You know this looks good. It is. I’d much rather eat a gesier salad than something like this, wouldn’t you?

Here, my mom is cutting the gesier into wedges. Thanks for dinner!

Sear them briefly in a hot skillet before serving.

Gesier salad with potatoes and nuts
Ingredients
about 2 gesiers per person
mixed baby greens or salad de mâche
basic french vinaigrette (See this post for the recipe)
oven roasted potatoes
Crushed walnuts

Directions
We had some left over roasted potatoes that we used for this dish. If you don’t have any, or want to quickly make some simply cut some potatoes into even, bite sized cubes and toss lightly with olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper. Bake them at 375F for 30-45 minutes, until they become golden brown.

1. Heat a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cut the gesiers into wedges or slices. Add some oil to the skillet and toss in the gesiers. Cook for several minutes until slightly browned.
2. Make the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add the salad, most of the nuts, and the potatoes. Mix to coat everything with a thin layer of dressing.
3. But a bed of dressing on a plate, add some of the cooked gesiers and a few more nuts.

This isn't something you'd find in every home. Enjoy it.

As a bonus for reading all the way down to the bottom, here is the can of gesiers from Verdier. He makes pâtés and other ‘canned’ meats that we can easily transport back on the plane. My grandfather actually used to live near him and we always eat some of his products when I go visit my family in France. He runs a small operation that consistently produces quality foods.

This guy makes terrific pâté's too. I really hesitate to eat the ones I have because I can't easily get more.

Soft, sweet rice.

I’ve found that brown rice can be a bit more finickey to cook than white. It seems to cook unevenly or stick the the bottom of the pot. So a nod goes to Alton Brown for introducing me to the baking method for cooking brown rice. Baking the rice in the oven allows for a much more even heat distrobution and cooks the rice evenly.

Cooking it in apple juice, that was my touch. I quickly figured out that cooking in 100% juice isn’t a good idea. Oh, it cooks just fine, but the result is almost too sweet. It’s best to use about half juice and half water or stock. That provides a good balance of flavor.

I wish I had thought of this when it was cold. I would totally use this to stuff winter squash!

I’ve made this a few times and honestly have never tried it out with white rice. It’s probably delicious too, but something just spoke to me about combining apple juice with the earthy sweetness already present in brown rice.

Apple Baked Brown Rice
I tend to dilute the apple juice with stock or water otherwise you will end up with a very sweet rice. And that’s fine, I sometimes make it using only apple juice. But for your average meal, I suggest the below method.
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 1/2 cups apple juice (or apple cider, if you want the good stuff)
1 cup vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
1. Begin by preheating the oven to 375F.
2. Bring the apple cider, stock (or water), butter, and salt to a boil in a small pot.
3. Pour out the rice into an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Add the boiling liquid to the rice. Stir once, then cover tightly with foil and place into the oven.
4. Cook for one hour. Remove from oven and check to see if all the liquid has been absorbed. If it hasn’t, continue cooking for 10 minutes at a time until the liquid has absorbed. (This depends on the brand, the style, and the age of the rice. I’ve had some rice cook in one hour, and others that take nearly an hour and a half. You’ll know it’s done when there is almost no liquid in the pan.) To encourage evaporation of the liquid, lift a corner of the foil. Be careful though as this can dry the rice out a bit.
5. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette

I’ve made this salad a few different ways and have come to find that less is more. If you try to drag too many things into this, the richness of the ingredients becomes diluted. Spinach, balsamic vinegar, and blueberries is really all you need. OK, so I added some pecans into it this time and I think that was a good move. But apart from that, nothing else is needed. Don’t let me stop you trying to improve upon it though. I’d love for someone to tell me that it’s better with, oh, I don’t know, sliced strawberries added. (Which could probably work really well, someone please do that and let me know:) )

As far as a salad dressings go, this one is unusual in that it has almost no oil. I know that a vinaigrette without oil is a bit odd, but it just works. I’ve made this a couple times and one time I accidentally left out the olive oil… to my surprise it made it better. It was less watered down and richer in flavor–the blueberries really had more chance to shine through.

Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette

Spinach salad with blueberry balsamic vinaigrette
Makes enough for two or three salads.
Ingredients
1/2 cup blueberries plus extra
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsps olive oil
spinach
pecans

Directions
1. Place a medium skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add a splash of olive oil (about a tsp or two) and the blueberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a few of the blueberries start to split open. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir and cook until it just begins to simmer. During the cooking, crush the blueberries using the back of a fork or a potato masher.
2. Allow it to reach a bare simmer for about 45 seconds then remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. It should have slightly thickened.
3. Put some spinach on a plate, spoon the warm vinaigrette over it. Don’t worry about removing the blueberry skins, they are fine. Sprinkle with a few extra fresh blueberries and some crushed pecans.

*Bonus addition that wasn’t pictured: grilled chicken. My roommate found some grilled chicken strips that I made earlier in the week and tossed them on his salad. It worked out really well. I even ate a piece of grilled chicken just dragged through some extra balsamic and it was fantastic. I may make this again just to serve with chicken!

Great stuff. I know it looks like a red mess, but just imagine spreading this rich, roasted garlicy, tomato flavored, basil infused spread over a sandwich.

Now that I have made this, I’m eager to try it in a number of dishes. I’ve already used it in sandwiches. (I can’t wait to tell you what I did, it was so good I had to save it for it’s own post. Stay tuned.) I’m looking forward to adding it to a simple pasta as a light, flavorful sauce. There really is no end to uses for this. I’d bet it would make a great addition to sauteed chicken too. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything interesting.

Speaking of something interesting, below is a first attempt at buttering up some baguette slices with it and adding little slabs of goat cheese and roasting it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350. I was hoping the top would get browned, but I became impatient after 20 minutes and gave up. I also tried a few directly under the broiler, but I ran into the issue of the bread burning (not good). It was really tasty though; if I can get it come come out how I imagine it, I’ll write a full article about it.

I'm going to make a real grilled cheese sandwich with this next time.

It’s quite simple to make as long as you have a food processor or blender. A food processor would likely make an easier task of it, but I made do with a blender.

And yes, I do seem to perpetually have pine nuts on hand. I buy them and use them in one application and have some left over that I wrap tightly and toss in my freezer. They are prone to spoilage if you leave them out (the fats will go rancid). But I’ve kept them for months tightly wrapped in the freezer with little to no ill effect.

Notes on consistency: As I mentioned above, you can use this in any number of ways depending on how thick or thin you make it. For a spread in a sandwich, don’t go much thinner than what the recipe calls for recipe. If you want to use it in a pasta or as a salad dressing, you may want to add more (or all) of the reserved steeping water. You can thin it further by adding more water. A splash of white wine would go well if you were going to serve it with roast chicken or pasta.

Sun-dried tomato spread/sauce/whatever
Makes about a cup to a cup and a half.
1 head garlic
12 sun-dried tomatoes (about 2 ounces) (the dry-packed kind, not the oil-packed)
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup grated parm or romano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small bunch of basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
splash red-wine vinegar
juice of a half lemon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp pepper (didn’t measure, just cracked some into blender)

Directions
1. Begin by roasting the garlic. Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut off the top quarter of the head of garlic. The cloves should be exposed. Wrap in foil and toss into the oven (cut side still facing up). Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until it’s cool enough to handle.
2. Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a medium bowl and pour in the boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap or a small plate and allow to steep for about 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor or blender. A food processor would be easier to use, but a blender will work just fine (I used a blender). It’s OK if some of the soaking liquid transfers into the blender, we’ll be adding some in later anyway.
Bonus Step: Transfer the soaking liquid to a small pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the quantity has reduced by about half. This step isn’t really necessary, but will help intensify the flavor.
4. Add 6 tablespoons (about 1/3 cup) of the soaking liquid, cheese, oregano, oil, vinegar, lemon, pine nuts, red pepper, basil, and salt. Squeeze in the roasted garlic. Pulse the food processor/blender, pushing down the mixture with a spatula in between pulses, until it reaches the desired consistency (see above for consistency tips). Add more of the soaking liquid if you need to thin the mixture.

Nothing fancy, but kids would eat it up.

When I make carrots, I usually just steam them or boil them in a tiny bit of liquid (essentially, steaming them). I don’t think I could devote a whole post to that. You’d be pretty bored (hell, I’d be bored writing it, but I like eating it though). So I decided to mix this up a bit. I have seen glazed carrots served at a few restaurants and figured I’d make my own version of the buttery, sweet carrots. These are very easy to make, but do require a bit of attention at the end to make sure the glaze doesn’t burn. Don’t worry, all you have to do is stir it a bit–heaven forbid you put too much effort into a meal :)

Look at 'em, all shiny with that caramelized sugar. Yeah. I dig that.

Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
1 bag baby carrots (or 1 lb of regular carrots, cut into 1/3 inch rounds)
1 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp butter (unsalted)

Directions
1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the carrots, salt, half the sugar, and the water. Cook, lid on or partially off, for about 4 minutes, until the carrots are almost tender.
2. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium high, stirring occasionally. When the liquid reduces to less than 2 tablespoons (just go by your gut) add the butter and the rest of the sugar. Stir frequently to coat all the carrots and cook until the carrots are have a glaze over them. I like to continue until a few browned bits appear, but be careful not to burn the sugars. It should take about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the carrots to a serving plate, keeping as much of the glaze as you can. You may have to pour/scrape the pan. It’s good stuff.

It was at this point that I looked into my basket and realized that I was making a salad. I just needed to round the flavors out. Arugula is definitely one of the more bitter salads, mint is pretty unique too–that unmistakable, refreshing aroma and assertive flavor. The red pepper would contribute a bit of sweetness. Looking around I saw some dried cherries and thought that the tartness and sugars would be a nice addition (after all, on the label was written “dried tart cherries”).

Sorry for the poor photo quality, I couldn't find my camera. I took these photos with my phone.

Satisfied with those purchases, I looked around for something to contribute a bit more substance to the meal. I ruled out eggs. I didn’t want beef and wasn’t in the mood for chicken. I was still in the produce section and saw some containers of extra-firm tofu. I realized that I hadn’t made tofu in a while and thought that some seared tofu would be perfect.

Once back at home with my bounty, I still needed to figure out how I was going to prepare everything and look for more ways to bring even more flavor to the party. To that end, I pressed, then marinated the tofu in a sesame ginger marinade. I also reached for the standard French vinaigrette–but made a few changes: I added a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil to the vinaigrette and reduced the vinegar. Toasted sesame oil can quickly overpower other flavors, so I kept it respectfully subdued.

The salad that restored my sanity.

This is definitely a flavorful and filling salad. The arugula may not be everybody’s favorite leafy green, but I like that bitter, grassy bite it gives. The mint played off it nicely, adding some depth to the dish. The addition of red pepper (sweetness) and the dried cherries (sweetness, tartness) served to balance the bitterness and the toasted sesame vinaigrette was great with the sesame ginger tofu.

Ingredients
Serves 2-3.
4 cups loosely packed mixed greens, mostly arugula (about 4 handfuls)
2 cups loosely packed mint (about 2 handfuls)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 red pepper, sliced
1 block extra-firm tofu
sesame ginger marinade (I had some store bought stuff)
peanut oil (or vegetable oil or canola oil)

dressing:
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (You can increase this for more sesame flavor, but I wouldn’t put more than 1 tsp)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Directions

Tofu
1. Remove the tofu from the package and pat it with paper towels or a tea towel to remove excess liquid. Cut into 6 even slices and pat them again with the tea towel. Place a towel on a cutting board, then arrange the 6 slices, then place another towel on top followed by another cutting board. Place this in the fridge and put something heavy on top (like a bottle of milk or OJ). Leave alone for about an hour. The tea towel will be pretty wet from the excess liquid.
2. Once pressed, put the tofu in a 8×8 baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Flip the tofu slices over and pour more marinade on the other side. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Remove the tofu to a plate, wiping off excess marinade.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add at least a tablespoon of peanut oil to the hot skillet. Carefully add the slices of tofu. They may spatter because of the excess moisture/marinade–use a spatter screen if you have one. Sear for about 2-3 minutes a side, or until golden brown (reduce heat to medium if necessary).

Vinaigrette
In a large bowl, whisk the 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tbsp olive oil, minced shallot, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt & pepper.

Bringing it all together
1. Add the salad, mint, and red pepper to the bowl with vinaigrette and mix to coat evenly.
2. Put 2 or 3 slices of tofu on the edge of a plate. Add the salad, then garnish with some dried cherries and pecans.

Good Salad.

Bite sized awesome.

I liked the idea of lahmacun, but wanted to change a few things so I could serve it as an appetizer and tie in a few more Moroccan flavors. Why Moroccan? Well, you’ll see the details of the main course on Thursday. So how did I change up the lahmacun? I made bite sized portions and classed it up with a Greek yogurt and harissa mixture. That’s another word that you may not know, “harissa”. It’s essentially a hot chili sauce common to the north of Africa. Recipes and heat levels vary, but you can buy it pre-made (I did).

This was really good though. I mixed a combination pine nuts, mint, some caramelized shallots, and coriander with ground lamb. I toasted some pita then baked some of the lamb mixture on each bit of bread. The Greek yogurt was mixed with more mint and a dollop of the harissa. To serve, I put some of the yogurt on each pita and a little more harissa with a tiny sprig on mint. They tasted even better than they looked.

Make this. You'll like it.

Ingredients
20 mini pitas (cut in half to make 40 rounds) -or- pita bread cut into wedges (the rounds bake more evenly, use those if you can find them)
1/2 cup mint (cut up), plus more for garnish
1.5 tbsp caramelized shallot (made from one shallot, minced) (onion would also work)
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 egg
2/3 lb ground lamb
1 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp harissa, plus more for garnish

Directions
1. Caramelize the shallots. You should be starting with 2 to 3 tbsp of minced shallot, they will reduce in volume as they cook. Set your smallest skillet over low heat and add a bit of olive oil. Cook until they become golden brown and tasty, about 10-15 minutes. If needed, add water as they cook to prevent them from drying out and burning. This can be left largely unattended and can be made ahead.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F. Brush both sides of each bit of pita bread with olive oil and bake for 8-10 minutes on a cookie sheet, until lightly toasted.
3. In a bowl, combine the egg, shallots, coriander, pine nuts, and half the mint. Mix in the lamb.
4. In another bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, rest of the mint, and the harissa.
5. Put a rounded tsp of the lamb on each toasted pita. Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Top with the yogurt mixture and a little bit of harissa. Add a tiny bit of mint for garnish if desired (it spruces them up :) ). I also sprinkled a few more pine nuts on them as well.

As I was making this for a dinner party, I wanted to be able to make this ahead and enjoy the company of my friends. You can make all of this earlier in the day and stop at the end of step 5. Just loosely cover the cookie sheet with foil and set aside. Reheat for at least 5 minutes in a 425F oven, then continue with step 6.

This salad would be ruined by throwing on creamy ranch or something. You want this vinaigrette. Trust me.

Ah, before you even think it, don’t you dare try and say that America has already perfected this and Kraft sells it by the bottle at the grocery store. What you are thinking of is “French Dressing”. That stuff is as French as apple pie and baseball. You aren’t fooling anybody. I’m not even sure what is in that, but I think ketchup is one of the ingredients… and maybe some kind of red or yellow food dye. Look, bottled dressings may have their place (emphasis on may) and I do know you can get pre-made dressings and vinaigrettes in France, but I have never seen the equivalent of American “French Dressing” in the stores there.

And they all soundly beat Grey Poupon.

I’m always a fan of good quality ingredients, but here I must really emphasize one ingredient: mustard. A good Dijon mustard is required for this. I always bring some back in my suitcase, usually a brand like Amora which is inexpensive and tasty. Not everyone has the luxury of bringing their own mustard back from France–I know that. It shouldn’t stop you though, some decent brands are available here. Maille is certainly available at most grocery stores. Grey Poupon will even work. If you can find it, get Maille though, it may be the most authentic of the easy to find brands here in the US. Amora may be available in some import or gourmet shops, but any good quality Dijon will suit you well.

The French have a much greater selection of mustard than we do. Good for them, bad for us. Many grocery stores do have quite a bit of mustard, but that “Yellow Mustard” is hardly worth eating. That doesn’t even exist in France. (I once made the mistake once of picking up “French’s Mustard” thinking it would be French… boy was I wrong.) The image to the right here was taken in a grocery store (Carrefour Market) in Paris (a second photo here). You can find more variety at the full size Carrefours and higher quality mustards are not difficult to find in many specialty or gourmet food stores. Thanks for the pic, Alistair.

Here is the brand I use.

Now that you have your mustard situation straightened out, you’ll need some vinegar. Red wine vinegar is my first choice. I’d never use balsamic in a French vinaigrette, too sweet and syrupy. It can be good, but it’s not what is needed here.

The rest of the ingredients I’ll be less picky about. Get a small shallot, some decent extra virgin olive oil, a bit of sea salt, and some fresh ground pepper. (Good quality olive oil is important, but I’d rather insist on the mustard here.)

chop chop chop chop chop

It’s not quite mix-and-serve though. I’ve found that the vinaigrette improves if you let the ingredients sit together for a while. My mother typically makes this vinaigrette before the meal and just leaves it on the counter until the salad course. The acid from the vinegar seems to mellow the oniony bite of the shallot a bit. If you have enough foresight let the vinegar and shallot macerate for a while before adding the rest of the ingredients. Honestly, I almost always forget to do this. Don’t worry though, no one will complain if you just whip it up moments before eating.

Letting the shallot soak in the vinegar (or even with the rest of the ingredients) seems to take the edge off.

You aren’t limited to just dressing up your leaves with this though. I’ve used variants of this with lentils, chickpeas, and several other things.

Ingredients
Again, as appears to be the tradition in French recipes, I’ve almost never seen actual proportions written out in France. It’s a matter of habit and just tasting the final result. Here are the typical proportions for a salad course for 4 though.
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
dash sea salt
dash fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil

This is what real French dressing looks like.

Directions
1. Combine the vinegar, shallot, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Whisk in the mustard and olive oil.
3. Give it a taste. Feel free to add more vinegar, mustard, or oil to your liking. I often add a dash more mustard or vinegar. You should see how you like it though.

Note: You can let sit for a while after either step one or two. I’m not sure that it makes much of a difference when you let it sit, but I do find that the shallot is somewhat tamed.
Don’t mix in the salad until you are ready to eat. Mixing too early will cause the leaves to wilt.

Oh, and use decent salad. No iceberg please. Get some mixed greens. Salad de mache is what I used here. Good stuff.

MMmmm...

Given that I’m fond of onions, it’s only natural that I crave onion rings every now and then. I’ve never fried them myself, but I have been making this oven-fried version that I got from Cooking For Engineers. I like to think that because I’m not deep frying these, I’m eating something healthful. Onions are vegetables, right? That means it’s healthful, right? Don’t tell me the truth. Let me pretend.

These guys were quite good. They aren’t as good as some of the fried ones I have had in restaurants or bars, but they are a very good substitute. Quite a bit of flavor is in these courtesy of an uncommon ingredient in fried foods: kettle chips. Adding potato chips seemed unusual at first, but it’s actually a great way to get a bit of that fried crispness in there without actually frying them.

Anyway, I was in the process of moving and my camera was still packed away, so these pictures were taken with my phone. The colors are a little washed out, so let’s just pretend that these looked even better in real life and that they tasted even better than you imagine.

If you have never battered anything, be prepared to use several bowls and get an assembly line going. Let’s get to the recipe and I’ll explain as I go.

Tastes pretty cool

Ingredients
Serves 4. Again, this is from Cooking For Engineers.
2 Onions, cut into rings
about 1/4 cup AP flour, for dredging
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup AP flour
30 saltine crackers
4 cups (about 4 large handfulls) kettle chips
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Whisk the buttermilk, egg, salt, pepper, and flour in a bowl. Grind/pound/mash the chips and crackers in another bowl–it helps to have a food processor, I don’t, so I just used the bottom of a beer bottle to crush the chips.
3. Set the stage: The bowl of onions goes first. Next to it, place a bowl of the 1/4 cup of flour for dredging. After that comes the bowl of batter. Then finally the chips–I put these in a pie plate because it has a big enough lip to keep everything together, but small enough to stay out of the way. Then a plate, or something to set the battered rings on temporarily. I told you used use a lot of bowls.
Now it’s just a matter of following the order. Take the onion ring into the flour and dredge it to coat it in flour. Dip it into the batter, make sure it’s coated. Then press as much of the crumbs into the onion ring as you can. Don’t worry if there are bald spots, it happens. Then just set them onto a plate as you continue the process with the rest of the rings.
4. Once all the rings are dredged, add the oil to to a baking sheet and put it into the oven to heat it up (he says 8 minutes, but I have found that 5 may be enough in some ovens). Once the oil is hot, pull the pan out and arrange the onion rings as best you can into one layer. Bake for about 8 minutes, flip the onion rings over and bake for 8 more. Do try to allow then to cool enough so you don’t burn yourself.