Eight nights of miraculous oil calls for eight nights of fried food-filled dinners, don’t you think? We’ve prepared over a week’s worth of fried feasts for you — including desserts. Even if you only dare attempt one night of such decadence, there are plenty of options to choose from here.
Fried goat cheese
This first course for a French-inspired meal is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser because it’s fried freaking cheese. There is not a single soul on Earth immune to its charms — even the lactose intolerant.
Fried goat cheese with honey and pepper via Food52
Fried duck confit
This one would be worth it solely for what a whiskey-braised applesauce will do to your latkes. Add a bit of crispy duck confit, and you’ve achieved a whole new level of Hanukkah luxury.
Fried duck confit with whiskey-braised applesauce via Food Network
Merveilles cookies
The translation of the name these fried French cookies is “marvels.” How’s that for an endorsement? In my experience, the French know what they’re talking about in this department.
Merveilles cookies via Epicurious
Baby bloomin’ onions
We all love these, but know better than to order them at Outback — we’re adults who have things like cholesterol and triglycerides to worry about. But in the event that we’re forced to eat them by our dinner hosts, well, I guess we have no choice but to go to town, right?
Fried baby bloomin’ onions via PureWow
Fried chicken liver pitas
I don’t get the analogy that something unwanted is “chopped liver.” How could anyone not want these delectable nuggets of gamey delight? You’ll pay top dollar for fried liver’s fancy cousin foie gras, but poo-poo these like they’re, well, chopped liver. Poppycock. Fry these bad boys and be amazed.
Fried chicken liver pitas with red onion marmelade and watercress via Food Network
Bombolini
Take a break from sufganiyot and try these butter-laden not-too-sweet doughnuts from Italy. You can squeeze a little jam into them or serve with a big glass of melted ice cream for dipping. It’s a fantastic hack for making a fancy dessert sauce while being as lazy as possible.
Bomboloni via Food52
Turducken scotch eggs
Turkduckens are crazy-expensive and pretty much impossible to make on your own (unless you have serious know-how, which, trust me, you don’t — no matter how many YouTube videos you’ve watched). Make some of these for brunch or serve atop a large salad for dinner with some cranberry vinaigrette.
Turducken scotch eggs via Food Network
Deep-fried basil salad
Yes, you can fry salad because this is America and that’s what freedom is all about.
Deep-fried basil salad via Food52
Deep-fried cheesecake
If I have to talk you into this, you may need to see a therapist because there is something seriously wrong with you.
Deep-fried cheesecake via Food Network
Fried eggplant salad with feta
This is a recipe that can be mixed up in all sorts of ways. Swap out the vinaigrette for an Asian one or really any exciting one you find that excites you in ways only a fine salad dressing can.
Fried eggplant salad with feta via Food & Wine
Salmon croquettes
Why eat sad, cold-poached salmon when you can fry them up into delicious, crispy croquettes? You can put them on top of your fried salad, put them on some toasted buns or serve them on their own with a homemade tartar sauce with lots of lemon.
Salmon croquettes via Saveur
Zengoula
Zengoula are funnel cakes traditionally made by Iraqi Jews at Hanukkah, plunged into a bright lemon-infused sugar syrup the moment they leave the hot oil. You’ll never be able to go back to depressing, greasy carnival funnel cake again.
Zengoula with lemon syrup, via Food52
Fried olives
What’s great about fried olives is that they’re so small, you can pop, like, 10 of them into your mouth at once. I’ve only been able to do that with latkes twice.
Fried stuffed olives with black garlic aioli via Food52
Korean fried chicken
If you have never experienced Korean fried chicken before, you should know that it will change your life. Change your life. It is so far superior to anything America has ever produced, and I don’t just mean as far as chicken goes. The light bulb, the space shuttle, sliced bread — all pale in comparison to Korean fried chicken.
Korean fried chicken via Food52
Fried bananas
If there are bananas in it, that means it’s healthy. Serve with sweetened condensed milk because milk is also healthy, and the sesame seeds have protein. So, yeah, this is awesome for you.
Fried sesame seed bananas via Fine Cooking
Fried chickpea polenta
This is a popular street food in Sicily, where it’s served on bread with a big, heaping scoop of ricotta, plus shredded caciocavallo cheese because one cheese is never enough.
Fried chickpea polenta, via Epicurious
Fried Swedish meatballs
This has always been the best and easiest way to cook meatballs, but nobody does it. Why? I don’t know. Do you have answers for me? I have a lot of meatball-related questions and could use some help.
Fried Swedish meatballs via Food Network
Fried apple pies
The second-worst day of my life was when McDonald’s decided to stop frying their apple pies to make them “healthier” (the first was when they discontinued the McRib). They’re so good, you won’t care about the third-degree burns they will give you on the inside of your mouth.
Fried apple pies via Food & Wine
Coconut rice
This is as good a time as any to learn how to make the best fried rice of your life.
Coconut rice and the best fried rice recipe ever via the Fat Rice cookbook
Kimchi pancakes
Every single bite of these will make you OK with the fact that your house will smell like kimchi for several days, especially if you make “tacos” from them with some slow-braised bulgogi beef.
Kimchi pancakes (jun) via Food & Wine
Fried Nutella wontons
You can stick anything into a wonton, so of course, Nutella. Really, anywhere you can find an opening for Nutella, you should grab it.
Fried chocolate-hazelnut wontons via Fine Cooking
Fried Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes, aka sunchokes, are the best vegetable that you’re not eating. Treat yourself this holiday and spend a few extra bucks picking up a pound or two, and be amazed.
Fried Jerusalem artichokes via Epicurious
Flash-fried steak with white bean mash
Yes, you can have a steak dinner in five minutes’ time. Sub canned white beans for mashed potatoes and get a thin-cut steak that can pan-fry in no time in a sturdy cast-iron skillet.
Flash-fried steak with white bean mash via Food Network
Churros
Homemade churros are far superior to the ones you get from the guy pushing a shopping cart on the subway (that’s how they do it here). At first, I didn’t believe it either, but it’s true! If you want authentic NYC subway flavor, wrap them in plastic and leave them in a closet for six weeks.
Churros via Saveur
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