Accompanied Kathleen Brotherton column, published 2-6-2014
Onion rings:
2 large sweet onions
1 cup commercial buttermilk pancake and waffle mix
1 cup sparkling water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bottle vegetable oil (24-ounce bottle)
Dipping sauce:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix (1 1/4-ounce package)
Cut onions into very thin slices and separate into rings.
In a medium bowl, combine pancake mix, sparkling water, chili powder and salt and beat until smooth.
In a large saucepan or deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Stir onions into batter. With two forks, lift onions from batter in small portions. Drop into hot oil just until surface of oil is covered with onions.
Fry 1-2 minutes or until crisp and browned. Remove onions from hot oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining onions. Place fried onions on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream and taco seasoning mix and blend well. Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving, heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake onions 10 minutes or until crisp. Stack onion rings on serving platter and serve with dipping sauce.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 330 calories; 25g fat
