Rory's Pickle Bacon Fritter's

Servings: Makes 16 Fritters - 8 servings per batch

Serving Size: 2 fritters

Calories per serving: 248

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Cheddar Cheese

• 1 cup of breadcrumbs

• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

• 6 strips of bacon,
  cut into lardons

• 1 cup of diced pickles

• 2 tbsp of ranch seasoning

• 1/4 cup of buttermilk

• 2 tbsp of minced garlic

• 1/2 a diced onion,
  carmelized and seasoned

• 1 tbsp of butter

• 1/2 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp of pepper

• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Dry the pickles well and try to take as much moisture out as possible before adding them to the batter.

2. In a saute pan, Cook the bacon on medium heat until it’s crispy. Set it aside

CARMELIZE THE ONIONS - This can be done in a new pan, or in the bacon grease.

1. Heat one tbsp of butter, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or reuse the hot bacon grease (the least healthy option but it’s delicious). Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic and ½ of 1 onion, diced.

2. Season the onions and garlic with salt and pepper almost immediately.

3. As the pan dries up turn the heat up very high until you get a sizzle, then add 1/4 cup of water. Immediately add a lid or splatter guard, as this will sizzle and pop, and can cause burns if you stand too close. It also needs to be able to steam.

4. let the pan sizzle and dry up, allowing the onions to caramelise, and then add 2 tbsp more of water and keep going with this until the seasoned onions and garlic are brown and caramelised. About 20 minutes.

Make the batter

1. In a mixer, combine the cooked onions and garlic, bacon, breadcrumbs, ranch seasoning, buttermilk, cheddar cheese, diced pickles, salt, pepper, and egg and use a paddle attachment to mix into a well combined batter.

2. You can also do this by hand with a rubber spatula by folding and mixing repeatedly until it is well combined.

3. If the batter is too wet, add more flour. If the batter is too dry, add more buttermilk, 1 tbsp at a time.

Fry the Fritters

FRYING

1. Form the batter into flat 4 inch fritters. Lay each fritter out on a sheet tray

2. Chill the fritters in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before frying.

3. When you are ready to fry, ensure the oil is holding at 350°F (175°C).*

4. Fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove from the oil

5. Transfer to a wire rack or a paper towel lined sheet tray.

AIR FRYING

1. Place the fritters in the air fryer, a few at a time, and fry at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes.

2. Halfway through the frying window, give the basket a few tosses to rotate the fritters.

Baking (A healthy alternative to frying)

1. Bake the fritters on a sheet tray for 18-20 minutes at 450 degrees.

2. At 9 minutes, approximately halfway through, flip the fritters to the other side.

3. When the Fritters are done baking turn on the broiler. Broil the fritters for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden and crispy on each side.

4. Watch them carefully to prevent burning.

SERVE IMMEDIATELY

Tips:

• Watch the temperature of the frying oil. If the oil is too hot, the fritters will burn
  on the outside while remaining raw on the inside. If the oil is too cold, the fritters
  will become greasy and soggy.

• The temperature of your oil will drop as soon as you drop your fritters into it. Don’t overcrowd your pot. This will drop the temp lower, faster. Just fry a few at a time then wair for the temp to come back up.

• I usually monitor my temperature by clipping a candy thermometer to the edge of my pot.

• You don’t need more than an inch or two of oil to fry. Don’t overdo it.