Fried Onion Aioli

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 large shallot

• 1 cup neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or sunflower)

• 1 egg

• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp Dijon

• 1 garlic clove

• Kosher salt

Directions

1. Peel and chop the onion and shallot in half. Carefully use a mandolin or a sharp knife to make slices that are thin, but not paper thin.

2. Toss the slices in kosher salt and allow to rest for ten minutes, then pat fry and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of them.

3. Heat the oil on medium heat and throw a slice of the onion in there. The oil is ready to add the onions when there is a stream of bubbles coming from the onion. Add the rest of the batch and allow to fry, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

4. Once the onions/shallots are turning darker and have less bubbles coming out of them, remove from heat, strain the onions over a glass bowl and reserve the oil. Place the onions and shallots on a plate lined with a paper towel and immediately salt. Note: they will not be crispy when they are first removed from the fryer, but they will crisp as they dry.

5. Set up a container just wide enough for an immersion blender, or you can use a blender or processor. Once the reserved oil is no longer hot (can be warm), process the garlic, egg, mustard, and vinegar until well combined.

6. Once that is processed, add a few drops of the oil and blend. Continue this process slowly at first, only adding little bits of oil at a time (especially important if the oil is still warm!), then you can slowly stream in the oil once you have about half of it in there. Continue to process until all the oil is used, then taste to salt.

   The fried onions and shallots will stay crisp and fresh in a sealed container on the counter, and the aioli will be good in the fridge for about a week (if it lasts that long!)