You don't have to pay big bucks at a restaurant to enjoy this wonderful appetizer or side dish anymore. Make them at home with sweet Vidalia onions fried to perfection and served with a horseradish aioli.
vegetable oil for frying (at least 3 inches deep)
1 good sized Vidalia onion
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. cornmeal
1 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
Horseradish Aioli:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. horseradish cream
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Peel and thinly slice the onion. (If using a mandoline slicer, it should be set between 1/8 - 1/4 inches.)
Pour buttermilk into a large bowl; add onions, carefully separating the rings.
In a pie plate or similar dish, toss together cornmeal, salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large pot to 340-350 degrees. (A clip on thermometer would help.)
When the oil is hot, take a handful of rings from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off; toss rings in the cornmeal, coating all surfaces; shake off any excess before dropping them in the oil. Fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. (Fry onions in batches to avoid crowding the pan. If doubling or tripling this recipe, be sure to make separate batches of cornmeal mixture because it gets clumpy from the wet onion rings.)
Mix the horseradish aioli ingredients together.
Serve onion strings hot with the horseradish aioli.
4 servings.