Beer Battered Fried Olives

New Years Eve is almost here and if you’re throwing or attending a house party, you know snacks are just as important as the beer selection.  We all know the typical party snacks, but why not try something new to bring in the new year?  Elevate boring cocktail olives to a whole new level of tastiness with this recipe for Beer Battered Fried Olives from Spoon Fork Bacon to finish off 2014 with a bang.

Ingredients (Serves 6 to 10 people):

Photo Courtesy of Spoon Fork Bacon

Beer Battered Olives:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 12-16 ounces beer of your choice (Dark beer recommended)
• 2 cups pitted olives of your choice
• Vegetable oil for frying

Cumin-Yogurt  Dipping Sauce:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Pinch cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

Cooking Directions:

1. Fill a pot with two inches of oil and preheat to 350° Fahrenheit.
2. Whisk together all the dry beer batter ingredients and set aside.
3. Place all the yogurt ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together until fully mixed and set aside until ready to use.
4. Pour beer into the flour mixture and whisk together.
5. Drop some olives into the batter. Lift them out using a slotted spoon and shake until only a thin layer of batter coats each olive.
6. Carefully drop the olives into the oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Drain onto paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
8. Repeat process until all olives have been fried.
9. Serve immediately with yogurt sauce.

Dobrou Chut’!