St. Patty's Day Fry Day

Deep frying is really more of an event than a cooking style. If you're going to bust out the fryer, you might as well invite some friends over for an all-afternoon extravaganza, especially if one of those friends is willing to help out in the kitchen.

Beer-Battered Dill Cheese Curds
1 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 egg
8 oz ale (we used Two Hearted Ale; Spotted Cow is great too)
A bag of dill cheese curds (about 10-12 oz)

1. Preheat deep fryer to 375F.
2. Make the batter: in a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, egg and ale. Drink the rest of the beer. It's going to be a long journey.
3. Drop the curds in the batter and toss to cover.
4. Using tongs, drop the battered curds in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the curds on a paper towel. Season with a bit of salt and serve with Ranch dressing.

Beer-Battered Skinny Onion Rings
2-3 small red onions, peeled and sliced thin

Beer batter (recipe above)
3 T BBQ sauce
1 T spicy mustard
1 T Dijon mustard

1. In a separate mixing bowl, make beer batter using the same recipe as above. Feel free to try a new type of beer this time.
2. Toss half of the onion slices in the batter.
3. Using tongs, drop the onions in the preheated oil, small amounts at a time, and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
4. While the onions are frying, make the sauce: combine the BBQ sauce and mustard in a small container.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the rings on a paper towel.
6. Season with salt and serve with the BBQ mustard sauce.

Reuben Wontons
Wonton wrappers
Corned beef, finely chopped
Swiss cheese, finely chopped
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing
Mayonnaise

My kitchen companion made these, but the general gist is this:
1. Blend together equal parts corned beef, cheese and sauerkraut in a bowl.
2. Take a heaping tablespoon of the corned beef mix and fold into a wonton wrapper.
3. Using tongs, drop wontons into the preheated oil and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the wontons on a paper towel.
5. Serve with equal parts thousand island dressing and mayonnaise.

Fried Jerk Chicken Wings
1 lb chicken wings, tips trimmed
Jerk seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 T butter
Salt and pepper
4 oz goat cheese
4-5 T mayonnaise

1. Generously season the chicken wings all over with jerk seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Using tongs, drop the chicken wings in the preheated oil and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter and blend with about a tablespoon of jerk seasoning. In a small container, mix together the goat cheese and mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the wings on a paper towel.
5. Toss with the butter mixture and serve with goat cheese dressing.

Deep Fried Oreos
2 c Hungry Jack pancake mix
1.5 c water
Oreo cookies

Now for the finale. These will change your life...
1. Blend the pancake mix and water until lumps are gone.
2. Cover some Oreos with the pancake batter.
3. Using tongs, carefully place the Oreos, one at a time, into the preheated oil. They should float.
4. Fry for about 1-3 minutes, until golden brown, flipping the Oreo halfway through cooking.
5. Remove the deep fry basket and drain the Oreos on a paper towel.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.