Turkey Schnitzel with Homemade Onion Rings and Chips

Don't you find it incredible, the prices that some fast food outlets charge for onion rings, given how inexpensive and easy they are to make at home? It was a TV advert for a fast food outlet, quoting such unbelievable prices, that partly inspired today's recipe and post. I hope that you'll give particularly the onion rings a try. You may save considerable money in the long term by discovering how easy these are to prepare!

Ingredients per Serving

1 6oz turkey breast steak
1 medium sized floury potato
8 to 10, 1/4" thick, large onion rings
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp self-raising flour
Chilled tonic or soda water as required
Salt and pepper
3 slices of tomato
Couple of fresh basil leaves

Sunflower oil for frying

Method

The chips for this dish can be made by any standard method but the way in which I like to prepare homemade chips requires that they be cooked in three stages. This means starting them a couple of hours prior to service.

Peel the potato and slice and chop in to chips. Add the chips to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Carefully drain through a colander and submerge in cold water for ten minutes. Drain again, place them in a tupperware dish and in to the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Take the chips from the refrigerator and gently pat them dry in a clean tea towel. Deep fry for four to five minutes on a medium heat. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool completely before refrigerating for a further half hour.

The turkey steak should take around ten minutes to cook, five on each side. Beat the egg in a flat bottomed bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumbs on a dinner plate. Add a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil to a non-stick frying pan and bring up to a medium heat. Draw the turkey steak firstly through the beaten egg on both sides and then pat in the breadcrumbs. Fry gently until the breadcrumbs are golden and the turkey is cooked.

The onion rings can be fried in a deep frier but I prefer to fry them in a deep frying pan, so that I may watch them cook and turn them when required. First of all, put the self-raising flour in to a plastic dish with a lid and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion rings, put the lid on securely and gently shake to coat the onion rings in flour. Remove the onion rings to a plate, one by one, shaking off the excess flour as you do so. Slowly begin adding the tonic/soda water to the flour, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth batter which is the consistency of thick paint or cream.

Depending upon the number of onion rings you are frying and the size of your pan, you may have to fry them in batches. Adjust when you begin cooking your turkey steaks and giving your chips their final fry accordingly. The chips will require to be removed from the refrigerator and deep fried for a further five to six minutes.

Fill your frying pan with sunflower oil to a depth of about 1". Bring it up to a fairly high heat. Dip your onion rings in the batter one by one, gently shake off the excess and carefully place them in the hot oil. Do not overfill your pan. Fry for two minutes, then turn them over and fry for a further two minutes on the second side.

Drain the chips and onion rings on kitchen paper. Plate up your meal and lay the tomato rings and basil atop the turkey schnitzel as a final garnish, if desired.