How to Make Gigantic Stuffed Potato Skin Onion Rings Without a Deep Fryer

Onion rings that taste like those All-American bacon & cheese & sour cream & butter & chive goodies that many of us secretly wish we could eat for at least one meal a day? Preposterous! Impossible! Absurd! But on the other hand...could it be possible? The answer is yes! These onion rings are a hybrid of two appetizer platter superstars. They work great as rings, but are even better as jumbo-sized onion chips (and easier to use as dipping scoops after they're done!) Even though it seems like beer batter might be a good starting point, the beer provides an off-note to an already complex flavor spectrum. Milk works out much better.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• FOR THE BASIC BATTER:
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 4 oz packet Idahoan “Loaded Baked” mashed potato mix, divided
• 2 cups Basic Batter (made with milk)
• Oil for frying
• 1 very large yellow onion, cut and separated into 3/4 inch rings

1. Pulse 1/2 cup of the potato mix in a food processor or blender until powdered. Add this to the batter; stir well and set aside. Put the remaining potato mix in a shallow bowl.
2. Heat 1/2 to 3/4 inches oil in a heavy skillet to 375 degrees. Dip an onion ring into the batter, coating thickly, and dredge in the dry potato mix. Lay it gently into the oil and cook until golden, turning once. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining rings. You can do 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your skillet, but take care not to crowd the pan or let the temperature drop too much, or the rings will turn out greasy.
3. Variations & Serving Suggestions: Other flavors of mashed potato mix (butter & chive, four cheese, etc.) work well too. (Haven't tried the mashed sweet potato mix yet, but it looks promising.) Nacho cheese sauce? Sour cream? Ranch dip? All of the above? Sounds good to me!

Tips & Warnings

• I used yellow onions and Vidalias in these recipes and they both produced fine results. Use the biggest onions you can find (there's no such thing as too big!) and cut them 3/4 of an inch thick. Don't worry about the onion being 'raw' or too strong: by the time the coating cooks, the onion will be mellow and tender (while still holding its shape.)
• If you want to fit more in your skillet or fryer, you can break the onion slices into large chunks and make jumbo-sized Onion Chips (a favorite in Eastern PA); batter, dredge, and fry them the same as rings.
• Some of the proportions will be approximate depending on the size of the onions you use, how much you choose to coat them, how spicy or sweet, etc. Let your own tastes be your guide and feel free to improvise and experiment.
• The Basic Batter Recipe creates a thinnish, crispy coating which is very nice on its own, but it's really just a jumping off point for imagination...feel free to come up with your own variations. :)