i will stay strong

when i sat down to write this post,

to think about what i wanted

to say,

one thing struck me:

i couldn't concentrate thanks to

the overwhelming

urge

to make another batch

of these onion rings.

and really, that doesn't usually happen.

yes, i often really enjoy what

i make - otherwise, it would be kind

of cruel to share it with you and

then end a recipe with a little

asterisk that read

*i thought the pictures were pretty,

so i wanted to show you and tell

you the story of how it came to be, but

this cake actually tasted terrible, 

make at your own risk.

and sometimes, i'm excited

to make the dish again,

but it is not often that all i can

think is,

i want one. now.

so that should tell you something.

full disclosure:

i have always loved onion rings.

if given the option, i'm sure

i would choose them over fries.

i've always loved them 

beer battered,

dipped in tempura,

breaded,

and yes, even in a loaf,

which i realize is probably

high on the list 

of gluttonous foods.

but, it's very rare 

that i actually have some.

and when i do, i'm often overcome

by general guilt and overall grossness.

greasy foods leave me feeling...well, greasy.

but that doesn't mean 

that i don't

think that they 

look and smell

like the most amazing food ever.

a few weeks ago, we were running

out the door when my sister,

called from college,

slightly panicked.

she had promised her roommates

a surprise when they returned,

but after trying unsuccessfully

to recreate the recipe

for healthy onion rings

on the back of a cereal box,

she was left with eggy,

slick onions and a bowl

of clumpy crushed flakes.

we ran through several

fixes, all based on the limited

ingredients she had in

her apartment.

nothing worked and

she had to scratch the whole

thing.

later that night,

i remembered a recipe that i've

been considering for years:

ellie krieger's

oven baked onion rings.

they always looked very good,

but some commenters complained

here, too that everything just slid off

the onions, leaving a nude ring,

in its wake.

i had skipped the recipe 

up until now for two

main reasons. 

1) they looked very simple, 

but anything

involving breading 

always seems like

a project. 

i'm not sure why.

2) i never have buttermilk 

in the house

and it felt like a waste 

to buy a carton

for this side dish.

it had been weeks since my sister

had attempted to make

the onion rings,

but i hadn't stopped thinking

about her problem.

and, by now, 

i've made this salad,

and therefore, am the proud

owner of low-fat buttermilk.

from the get-go, 

i knew there would be a major

change when i made the rings.

ellie used crushed potato chips,

which to me, just sounded

weird. i worried that in 

the end, they would just

taste like potato chips.

so i used panko instead

and added a bit

of kosher salt

along with the cayenne pepper

she originally used.

then, i thought back

to sbp, 

or the standard breading procedure

that we discussed at length

in culinary school.

i knew i learned something there.

these tips though, aren't really so top secret

(but they really did help).

basically, you must coat 

the onions with flour 

before you do anything 

else, but you also must pat off

as much excess flour 

as possible

before dunking the rings in

buttermilk. 

then, even though

it might take longer, you must

let as much 

buttermilk drip off

as possible,

before tossing into the panko.

and, you really have to 

repeat this process,

one persnickety ring at a time.

it was oddly painless -

resulting in panko that stuck

to the onions, 

and did not clump together

in their bowl of crumbs.

when they were done,

i coated them well in cooking spray

(thinking again that i really

need to invest in an oil sprayer)

and popped them in the oven.

when they came out, 

i sprinkled a touch of kosher

salt over the golden rounds,

placed them in a bowl and thought,

wow, they really look like

like onion rings.

they tasted like them, too.

the coating was crisp

and adhered well to

the very tender

onion.

they were spicy, too, thanks to 

the cayenne.

i really loved these 

onion rings.

and while i wouldn't go

as far as to start making

them every night,

or even every week 

(i think at some point guilt would

kick in for these, too),

i will certainly make them again.

they're a nice way to splurge 

without regret, later.

but, considering the fact 

that i really still want one,

(just one more, that's all)

i won't lie to you:

these onion rings 

may just be habit-forming.

spicy baked onion rings

adapted from ellie krieger

besides using panko instead of potato chips, i followed the recipe relatively closely. one step that i skipped and may or may not do next time, was to grind the panko a little finer. on one hand, i loved the texture that this size grain lended to the rings. my argument for grinding would be that, as i was afraid would happen, the cayenne was unable to evenly incorporate and fell to the bottom. as a result, the rings coated last were significantly spicier. 

also, ellie's recipe instructs to only use the largest rings, but since the medium, pop-in-your-mouth rings are my favorite, i took my chances and just watched them closely. they were fine. i would save the small rings for another use.

1-2 large vidalia onions, peeled (i used one very large onion and it was plenty)

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

heat oven to 450˚f. place aluminum foil on baking sheets (the recipe called for one - i needed two). coat with cooking spray or mist with oil. 

slice onion into 1/2" wide circles; carefully separate into rings, setting aside medium and large pieces; save small rings for another use. from one onion, i had 16 rings. pour 1/2 cup flour into large resealable plastic bag; add onion rings and shake to coat.

in small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, remaining flour, salt and ground pepper.

place panko in a separate small shallow bowl; add cayenne and season with kosher salt; set aside.

remove one onion from the flour; shaking and patting to remove excess flour. dip onion into buttermilk mixture to coat, turning if necessary. let excess buttermilk drip off. place onion in panko mixture and coat completely. place onion on baking sheet. repeat, one at a time, with remaining onions. coat onions well with cooking spray or oil. 

bake 1o minutes; spray onions again, place pan bake in oven, turning 180 degrees. bake 10 minutes more, or until the onions are tender and the breading is golden brown. sprinkle with kosher salt.