Small Fry

I picture a scene from a cheesy war movie with the German officer preparing to torture the downed pilot. "Herr Pedersen, we have someone here you've been avoiding for a long time. His name is Frying. Deep Frying."

Deep frying. Kitchen fires. Unhealthy food. Oil to dispose of. Improperly fried food turning into a grease slick. Yeah, that deep frying. Did I mention kitchen fires? Greasy french fries. Overcooked chicken. Odors that stay around for days. Oily mist over the entire kitchen. Plus, the risk of kitchen fires. Who needs it?

I don't. Except I do.

One of the things that drives my kitchen adventures is the possibly baseless belief that I'm better off making for myself those foods that aren't good for me but which I can't lay aside completely.

And, every once in a while, I really-really-really want doughnuts.

And, while there are recipes for baked doughnuts, seriously: doughnuts are fried.

And, tonight, I made some. Sort of, anyway.

(I have deep-fried once before, the target food being tofu. I like tofu, prepared well, but that's hardly what deep-frying is for, now, is it?)

I think I'll spare you the saga of my search for a recipe and why I chose the one I did. But I settled on  Orange Sugar Fried Doughnut Holes,  from Food Network host Sunny Anderson.

I think I'll also spare you the play-by-play. But I didn't start any fires. And the doughnut holes were tasty. And, mixing orange zest into the sugar is a neat trick.

I will tell you that I'll be obtaining a doughnut cutter and that I don't intend on using pre-made biscuit dough again if I can avoid it. It's just not right.

But I deep-fried.

"You see, Herr Pedersen? It is YOU that have your methods."