Fried Onion Strings with Spicy Fry Sauce

These little things may be thin, but they sure are dangerous. Before I even realized it, Aubrey and I had almost knocked out a whole onion. They are like a blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse sans the bloom. And even though they're fried, they aren't very greasy if you drain them on a few paper towels.
The spicy fry sauce reminds me a lot of Guthrie's sauce. I'll definitely be making this more often to add to hamburgers and as a dip for french fries and chicken fingers. It's absolutely amazing! You can adjust the red pepper to suit your taste buds.

Onion Strings

Ingredients:
1 whole large yellow onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) salt
1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne (red) pepper
1 quart (to 2 quarts) Canola oil
Black pepper, to taste


Directions:
Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375-degrees. A candy thermometer comes in very handy here.
Grab a handful of onions, throw them into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and plunge into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Repeat until onions are gone.
And the words from Pioneer Woman's mouth: "Eat before your family sees them. Repeat with another onion, because they'll be really mad if they didn't get any."

Definitely make the spicy fry sauce below to dip these little suckers into:

Spicy Fry Sauce

I doubled this recipe:
Mix together 1/3 cup Mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons Ketchup, and 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (use less if you have a sensitive mouth).

Source for onion strings: Pioneer Woman
Source for sauce: Pioneer Woman