Pioneer Woman Onion Strings

My mom served The Pioneer Woman's homemade onion strings while we were home for Christmas, and they really were too good not to share. I'd never made onion strings/rings before, but it's actually a fairly simple process! They probably aren't going to be on The Biggest Loser diet, but they are pretty darn good for a little treat!

Ingredients: 1 large onion 2 cups buttermilk 2 cups flour 1 Tbsp salt 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on how much spice you like a generous amount of black pepper, to taste 1-2 quarts canola oil for frying
Directions: 1. Peel the onion and slice very thinly. Separate the onion slices and place them in a shallow dish. 2. Pour buttermilk over the top of the onions and press them down so they are submerged as much as possible. Let them soak on the counter like this for at least an hour.  3. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.  4. Pour canola oil into a large pot and heat until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.  5. Using tongs, remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and immediately dunk into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture and tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess.  6. Plunge the onions into the hot oil. With a spoon, stir around a bit just to break them up. Watch them! They'll be ready to remove from the oil in under a minute. When they're golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined plate.  7. Repeat with the remaining onion slices and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!