Crispy Fried Sweet Onion Rings

Prep / Total time :2 hours 30 minutes       Makes 6 servings

2                large sweet onions, cut into 3/8-inch-thick slices
3                cups buttermilk
                    **Vegetable oil **
2                cups all-purpose flour
1                cup plain yellow cornmeal
2                teaspoons table salt
1/2             teaspoon ground red pepper

1.          Separate onion slices into rings, and place in a 9-inch square baking dish. Pour buttermilk over onion rings. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.
2.          Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 360°.
3.          Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge onion rings in flour mixture, and place on a baking sheet. Discard buttermilk.
4.             Fry onion rings, in batches, 2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

5.             Serve onion rings immediately, or keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.
TIP :
Store any leftover dredging mixture (from Step 3) in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Make sure your oil is hot enough, and that it comes back up to temp, before adding the second batch of onions.