If I had to rank each fried dish we made, the blue ribbon would definitely go to the onion rings. James confessed he has not cared for onion rings in the past, but that these were the best he'd ever tasted (he even went back for seconds... I had thirds). I've never made onion rings before, and the ones I used to get in restaurants were heavily battered so that once you bit into the ring, the whole onion would slip out of its coating, leaving me to stuff the whole onion in my mouth. The breading would just be an empty shell, all lonely, so I'd quickly stuff that in my mouth, too so I could enjoy the two flavors together as they were meant to be tasted. Needless to say, I wouldn't have won any etiquette awards.
However, the onion rings we made had a nice, light breading (not battered) with a salty crunch that clung nicely to the onion -- no slipping, no empty breading, no mouth stuffing. I was in heaven.
Onion Rings
2 cups oil (palm, peanut, lard, organic shortening, etc)
1/2 cup sorghum or brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tsp baking powder
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (almond, coconut, soy, cow)
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rings, separate each layer
1. In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until 350 degrees. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towel and set aside.
2. In a shallow dish, whisk together sorghum or brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, salt, pepper, paprika, baking powder and cayenne pepper (if using). In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add onion and toss into egg mixture to coat.
3. In small batches, lightly coat the onion rings into the flour mixture, then gently place into the hot oil. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove and allow to dry on paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all of the onion rings have been breaded and fried. Serve.