Not only do these onion rings taste light and crispy, with delicious sweet onion flavor, they hold perfectly for an hour or two in a warm oven. Once you make them, you will be hooked and so will friends and family.

Onions

1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups beer, chilled or at room temperature
2 Oso Sweet onions
Neutral vegetable oil for deep frying

Sauce

3/4 cup Creole mustard or other spicy, whole-grain mustard
1/3 cup honey
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste

To prepare the batter for the onion rings, thoroughly whisk together flour and beer. Let batter stand, covered, at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Meanwhile, prepare dipping sauce. Thoroughly whisk together mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce; reserve, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Return sauce to room temperature before serving. To prepare onion rings, heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet or jelly-roll pan with paper toweling; reserve. Slice onions 1/4-inch thick. Separate into rings; reserve. Pour 3 inches of oil into a large frying pan; heat to 375 degrees F. With metal tongs, dip a few onion rings into batter, then carefully put them into the hot oil. Fry, turning the rings a couple of times until golden brown. Remove from oil; put rings on the reserved towel-lined pan. Put in the oven; keep warm up to 1-2 hours. Continue until all the onion rings have been used.

Yield: 6 servings