In this Good Eats show, Sprung a Leek, Alton Brown suggested that onion rings were invented when someone dropped a sliced onion in pancake batter and that we would have been better off if he would have dropped leeks in the batter… because leeks have less moisture and onions and therefore, remain crisper after frying.
Once again… my dear friend Alton is right!!!! I loved these Leek Rings and as a garnish to the Potato Leek Soup they work amazing. They are crisp, oniony and incredible snacks… I must say, I ate all the Leek Rings leaving nothing for when my mom tried it. Sorry… I am a bad daughter, I know…
LEEK RINGS
About 2 cups of canola oil 1 leek, cleaned and trimmed of dark green parts 1/3 cup of whole-wheat pastry flour 1/3 cup of water, plus a few tbs more Salt and Pepper to season the batter Garlic Salt to sprinkle onto the rings after they’re fried
- Because we need the leek in rings, we need to cut the rings first and them dunk them in a large bowl or sink full of cold water to clean them thoroughly of any sand or dirt that they come with, particularly if you’re buying organic. Cut the leeks in ½ inch rings. No green pasrts this time…
- Separate them into layers very carefully. They might break open.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. When you insert the back end of a wooden spoon, bubbles should form around the spoon end. Careful, do not insert a moist wooden spoon, as the water in the spoon can make the oil splatter… I learn these lessons the hard way… and make sure the pan is thoroughly dry to begin with…
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, water and seasonings. Dunk the leek rings in the batter and transfer carefully into the hot oil in small batches.
- Watch the leek rings so they do not stick to much to each other. When they’re light golden, remove them from the oil and place them in a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle them with garlic salt to taste while they’re still warm.
Enjoy as a garnish for our Potato Leek Soup or by themselves as a snack. Yummy!!!
KarmaFree Cooking 
I never would have thought of this, but now I really want to try this as soon as possible. It sounds awesome!
I’m so glad you wrote this post. I never liked onion rings (because I hate onions) but yet always found them to look so good. And now, I have my solution! Leek rings! Yay Alton Brown.
Leek rings sound really good! Alton Brown is seldom wrong.
😀
I like how you have used it as garnish in the soup too.
What a fun twist on onion rings…love it!
i love onion rings…possibly even more than i love french fries. these might be even better that both. thanks for the recipe!
Leek rings sound so delicately crisp – what a great idea! After downing half an order of chunky onion rings just this afternoon at lunch, your photo particularly caught my eye!
I saw that episode, but I have yet to try them. I am bookmarking this so I can try them soon.
KFC – MY batter is different than the Good Eats version, but the results are still very good indeed. Try them soon.
Delicious idea! Thanks for posting. I also would never have thought to toss leeks in batter. I can definitely see the various coatings getting very creative.
I just got cable for the first time in my life last week, and I can’t stop watching “Good Eats”. It’s recipes like this that make it the ridiculously great show that it is. Although, let’s face it.. Alton Brown is the Bill Nye of the cooking world. (that’s not a bad thing.)
What a great idea! I love Good Eats and I always learn something new from it.
They are good! Just do not make them while you are feeling ill with the flue or they come out more likel leek cakes.BUT they are still OMG good!