Fry-Day Jan 9th 2009 - Fried Olives

The focus of this Fry-Day was all about Fried Olives. A while back, the NY Times food blog, Bitten, featured a short article about deep fried olives, and I haven't been able to get that idea out of my head since. We used Trader Joe's Garlic-Stuffed Olives and basically followed the NY Times directions, rolling them on a paper towel, then flouring, egging, and bread-crumbing.

We used canola oil for the frying.

Also pictured are fried potato peels which were an excellent alternative to composting the peels. Just drop the peels into the oil and wait for them to pop up to the top. We make our own homemade ketchup which is what you see in the little blue condiment bowl. Homemade ketchup is an essential for any serious fry-day-er. Someday I'll post the secret recipe, if you are lucky.

We had lentil soup and a salad with our fried goodness and shared a whole wheat baguette. There was a little leftover bread, so I turned it into french toast and fried it. Oh my! Fried French Toast is amazing! Serve with powdered sugar on top.

At the end of the evening, I strained the oil and put it into a glass jar to reuse next fry-day.