Onion Blossom with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise – low-fat okay
2 Tbls. grated horseradish
2 tsp. tomato ketchup
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 dash black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch ground thyme
1 egg – beaten
1 cup milk – low-fat okay
1 lrg. Vidalia onion – flowered (see instructions, below)

Directions

Stir together first 8 ingredients; cover and refrigerate until needed.

Stir together flour, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and thyme; set aside.

Beat together egg and milk; set aside.

Thoroughly cover flowered onion in flour mixture, shaking off excess; coat onion in egg wash; thoroughly cover onion in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Refrigerate coated onion for 30 minutes.

Deep-fry in 350 degree oil for 10 minutes; drain on a brown paper bag. Serve fried onion with prepared sauce for dipping.

* To flower an onion: Slice 1\” off of the top of the onion, leaving the root end intact. Remove the papery skin. With a sharp chef\’s knife, make slices from the center of the onion outwards, cutting down to about 1/2\” from the root end. Your cuts should look like the spokes of a wagon wheel. Make a total of 16 cuts, spaced evenly. Gently spread out the pieces of onions. What you will have is an onion which resembles a flower.