Not Fair

Fair foods. Do you hit the stands for deep-fried Twinkies? bacon-wrapped-beer-battered hot dogs on a stick? fried Coca-Cola? deep-fried bacon? fried Kool-aid? fried butter? chocolate-covered bacon on a stick? or is it some of the tamer selections that you crave, like corn dogs, cotton candy, and candied apples?

I haven't been to a fair in ages, but Hubs hit the agriculture-centered DakotaFest this week. He didn't come home with tales of wild fair foods, just a bag of Kettle Corn. 

*sigh* Not fair. 

Don't get me wrong. I love the salty and sweet combo of Kettle Corn, but I also get a hankering for all those things that are just so bad for me. Fried things sometimes call my name. I was hoping to live vicariously through Hubs' gastric fair adventures.

Oh well. I will just have to make some Deep-Fried Green Beans with a Zesty Dipping Sauce. They aren't as wild and crazy as some fair food, but they are a fairly tasty treat.

Deep-Fried Green Beans

(adapted from Taste of the South)

vegetable or peanut oil (for frying)

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 cup buttermilk

In a large dutch oven, add oil to a 2-inch depth.
Heat to 375 degrees.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt and peppers.
In a second shallow bowl, pour buttermilk.
Dip green beans into buttermilk.
Then, dredge wet beans in flour mixture to coat.
Fry beans in oil, in batches, until golden and crisp, about 3-5 minutes per batch.
Remove from oil; drain on paper toweling.

Zesty Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk together all ingredients.
Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.