Mom's onion rings

These onion rings have to be one of my mom’s specialties. They’re so good I could easily make a meal off of them, but, as you can imagine, they are a great on the side of a juicy steak or hamburger. Tonight, I’m serving them with burgers — the Mr.’s is a big, 2/3 pound, 3-cheese bacon burger with barbeque sauce and for me, a smaller, more traditional burger topped with Miracle Whip and lettuce.

These take a little more time than the usual side dish, so they aren’t in my regular weekly rotation. They are a once-in-awhile treat. But, they are actually quite easy and require limited ingredients. Tonight, I’m making enough for 2-3 large servings.

To do the same, you’ll need:

1 red onion, cut into slices and separated into rings

About 3 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

Flour

Sea salt

Coarse ground pepper

Vegetable oil

Place the onion rings into a mixing bowl and fill it with ice and water. Let them sit for 10 minutes up to several hours.

Spread some flour (I probably use more than I need, but it seems easier to have some extra to work with) on a large plate and season it up to your taste with the salt and pepper. We like quite a bit of pepper, so my flour looks something like this:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the buttermilk and eggs. It’s not an exact science, so I don’t measure but just kind of eyeball it.

Dredge the onion rings into the flour, into the buttermilk and back into the flour. Transfer to a plate and put in the refrigerator until ready to fry. This will help the batter to stick a little better, and allows you to do your prep work ahead of time (and, if you’re like me, clean up the huge mess you just made before it’s time to start cooking).

Heat oil in a heavy skillet or deep fryer until a piece of flour rises quickly to the top. I’m told this is at about 350- to 375- degrees, but I’ve never measured. The flour trick works like a charm!

Slowly place onion rings in skillet or fryer, being careful not to overcrowd them.  If you’re using a skillet, you’ll need to turn them at least once. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes per batch, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with ketchup or Ranch dressing.