Recipe: Parmesan-Garlic Buffalo Wings

Wow! Seems as though I got lost for a while, and couldn't find my way back to blogging. It has been a while so I will start back slowly with an easy recipe. This was something that I whipped up while some guests were over for a football game recently. Nothing goes better with sports than buffalo wings, but after the first batch of breaded wings dipped in Franks Red Hot wing sauce and ranch my creative juices got a little restless. At halftime I went digging in the fridge to see what might be fun to make. I always keep fresh garlic around, and there happened to be a block of parmesan cheese that couldn't wait to be grated up. The perfect companion for this variation of bar food royalty is, of course, bleu cheese dressing. All of your guests will love these wings, from the big bellied heavy eaters like my cousin Michael, and friend John to the little girls with surprisingly big wing eating appetites like my little sister,

To cook my wings I used a cast iron pot filled with peanut oil set over a small propane burner. The best temperature to fry is between the 325 and 350 degree area, and I use a fry thermometer with a long shaft to monitor my cooking oil. I used to use a meat thermometer that was a good bit shorter but the dial did not agree with being close to the heat source and told me so by exploding. On this day we had both breaded and naked wings, but decided that the naked wings are better for the parmesan garlic variety, so hold the flour for these. You will also need a little pre-made buffalo wing sauce, which helps bind all the other ingredients. Have fun Tailgating! Go Saints and Tigers!

Ingredients:

2-3 dozen chicken wings (drumettes, wings, or both)

1/4 cup of pre-made buffalo wing sauce

2 sticks plus 2 tbl. of butter

1/2 small onion - diced small

1 bulb of fresh garlic - chopped in food processor

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Fry the chicken wings in oil heated to 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Chicken wings will float to the top of the oil when they are cooked through. After removing from the oil the wings should be placed on a wire rack to cool for about one minute. This will keep them from becoming greasy.

2. While your wings are cooking start the sauce by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Add the diced onion and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.

3. Add the hot sauce and turn the fire down to low. Begin adding the butter in small cubes slowly to the mixture. Allow the cubes to melt two at a time before adding more butter.

4. Pour your cooked wings and the finished sauce into a large bowl and toss to coat the wings.

5. Add the grated cheese and toss a little more.