
"Wildfire at Larch Creek" - Baked onion rings

Wildfire Smokejumpers #2
EXCERPT:
Home. Tim looked up into the rain and let the drops patter down on his face. He hadn’t had a home in years; he’d just been living in temporary quarters. Jumpbases in Colorado, California, and now Oregon. And the last few years MHA had been running off-season contracts down in Australia which had been a kick. Australian women were much more relaxed than their American counterparts.
He looked back down at his friend and punched him hard on the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?” Akbar’s solid smokie-fit frame didn’t waver in the slightest despite the power Tim had put behind the blow.
“For finding such an amazing woman that you ruin it for the rest of us.”
His grin was electric as always, “Yep! I Hit the jackpot on Laura. Sure you want to go home? Come back in and have something to eat.”
Tim wasn’t hungry. The thought of one of the Doghouse’s monster mushroom and bacon burgers with a smoky barbeque sauce—a Smokejumper Deluxe, just didn’t do it for him today.
Then he thought about a moose burger with onion rings at French Pete’s and wondered if Carl had changed the grease in the fryer since the last time Tim had been in Alaska. It had been a couple years, so the chances were at least fair.
“Thanks, buddy, but no thanks,” Tim looked down at his friend. “A week off? It’s time I went home. I’ll call you from Alaska.”
“Alaska?” The look of shock on Akbar’s face made it all the sweeter.
Note: Fine breadcrumbs and coarser Panko bread crumbs will give a different bite. Try both, but we prefer the heftier bite of the Panko.
NerdGuy Tip 1: The critical factor to a great onion ring isn’t the seasoning, it’s the onion. Stick with Vidalia Sweets or, even better if you can get them during the brief height of the season, Walla Walla Sweets.
NerdGuy Tip 2: You can either knock out the half dozen center rings and save them for another recipe or keep them together for an onion “nugget” that offers a nice kick.
Active time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 20 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lg. sweet onions, cut across the pole in 1/2” thick slices.
- Bowl #1 (larger): filled with cold water
- Bowl #2: 3/4 c. flour
- Bowl #3, beaten together:
- 2 lg. eggs
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1/3 c. milk
- Bowl #4 (Shortcut: pre-seasoned breadcrumbs):
- 2 c. breadcrumbs (fine or Panko, see Note above)
- Easy: 2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
- Simple: 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. chili powder (a little kick is nice)
- Fancy: 2 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Create your own favorite flavor: garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, kosher salt, a pinch of cayenne…
- Dipping sauce (endless rage the debates, but here are a few):
- Ketchup with a dash of balsamic vinegar stirred in
- Mayonnaise with yellow mustard
- Ranch (really?)
- Tartar sauce (my personal favorite)
- BBQ sauce (my second favorite)
- Hoisin with a good shot of Sriracha sauce stirred in
- A squeeze of lemon over the rings…
The Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Prepare 1-2 baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cut and separate the onions into rings and drop into the bowl of cold water. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to draw out the sulfur and some of the sharpness.
-
Shake water off the onion ring and dip it successively into:
- Flour, shake off excess
- Egg mixture, shake off excess
- Seasoned breadcrumbs, dredge well
- Place on prepared baking sheet. (NerdGuy Tip: small onion rings will fit in the center of large ones without touching. You get more on the sheet.)
- Bake 10 minutes. Turn over. Bake 10 more minutes until golden brown. Serve hot.
![]() |
A pile of delicious baked-to-gold rings dresses up any plate or burger. In this photo a Night Stalkers #5, Light Up the Night, mushroom-Swiss burger. |