Since St. Patrick’s Day is a perfect excuse to have a party, and the Irish know how to celebrate, are you having a “luck of the Irish” party in your apartment in Beaufort, SC? If you are, you live in the South so your St. Patrick’s Day menu needs to embrace the Lowcountry as well as the Irish. Here is a great appetizer idea. It uses both Beer and Buttermilk, how southern!
First go out and get the (green) beer, green beads and some fun leprechaun hats. Download some Irish music, and grab some gold foil covered chocolate coins to toss around your apartment home. What’s on the menu? Here is an idea.

Beer Battered Fried Onion Rings
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup light beer
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Cut onion into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and separate into rings. Select largest 12 rings, reserving remaining onion slices for another use.
- Whisk together buttermilk, beer, and egg white in a small bowl until blended.
- Dredge onion rings in flour; dip into buttermilk mixture, coating well. Dredge again in flour, and place on a baking sheet.
- Heat 2 tsp. oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt pan to coat bottom of skillet. Add 4 onion rings to skillet, and cook 1 minute on each side or until golden. Wipe skillet clean. Repeat procedure twice with remaining onion rings and oil. Place fried onion rings on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 400° for 3 minutes. Turn onion rings, and bake 3 more minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.
Recipe/image: Southern Living- June 07





