Who doesn't love Blooming Onions? They are melt in your mouth delicious! However, they are huge and I couldn't possible eat an entire one myself. That's what makes these wedges so great! They are sharable and so much easier to cook. You don't even need a deep fryer!

You Need:

1 large Sweet Onion
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
Oil for frying

Chipolte Dip:

1/2 cup Mayo
2 tbs milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional)

Step 1: Understand and Cut the Onion

There are two ends to an onion and it is important to understand the differences.The first picture is of the "hairy" end of the onion. It has a flat end and "hairs". This is the end of the onion that holds all the layers together. You do NOT want to cut this end off. If you do, you will end up with petals, not wedges.

The second picture is of the opposite end. This end comes to a tip and is the end you want to cut. Cut off this end of the onion. Carefully peel the onion. You may want to use a small paring knife to help.

Cut the onion in half and the halves into wedges. Depending on the size of your onion, you will get 4-6 wedges per half with a total of 8-12. Make sure that each wedge has a decent sized portion of the "hairy" end on it. If it doesn't, it will fall apart.

Step 2: Soak the Onion

In a large bowl combine the milk and the eggs.

Add the onion wedges to the milk and egg mixture and allow them to soak for 30 minutes. This soaking process helps the onion layers to open up for easy and even coating.

Step 3: Chipolte Sauce

I really love horseradish dipping sauces, but I find this sauce to be the perfect compliment to the blooming onion wedges. You can even control just how spicy you would like to make the sauce. If you want to bring some heat, add the cayenne powder with the other spices. Feel free to leave it out if you don't want all that heat. If your not a big fan of chipotle flavors, feel free to use what ever kind of sauce you like.

You will want to do this step while the onions are soaking. It is important to let this dip sit for a while so the flavors of the spices can develop and mingle.

In a small bowl mix the milk, mayo and spices together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4: Coating the Onion Wedges

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper.
Take one wedge out of the milk and allow it to drip. Make sure all the layers are separated and put it in the flour bowl.

Coat the entire wedge making sure to get a good coating between the layers. Place the coated wedge on a plate.

Repeat until all of the wedges are coated.

Step 5: Fry the Wedges

Add oil to a large fry pan and bring the oil to 350 degrees over medium high heat. You want between 1/2 and 3/4 inch of oil in the pan. You can monitor the heat with a candy thermometer. If you don't have a candy thermometer, a great way to test the oil to see if it's ready to fry is with a slightly damp wooden spoon. Simply dip the end of the spoon into the oil. If it starts bubbling and frying, you're ready to go.

Carefully place a few of the wedges into the pan. Make sure to drop them away from you so you do not accidently splash hot oil onto yourself. It is important to cook them in batches and not overcrowd the pan.
Fry the wedges for 2 minutes. Gently flip them over using tongs and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the wedge is golden brown.
Carefully remove the wedges. Let the excess oil drip off and place on paper towels. The paper towels will help soak up any extra oil.

If you have a deep fryer and prefer to use it that's fine! Set it to 350 and cook them in batches for 3-4 minutes.