BACON & JALAPEÑO HUSH PUPPIES

MAKES ABOUT 2 dozen hush puppies

Lord knows, I love a hush puppy. Though it sounds like a cute little pet, it’s not. It just so happens to be the best fried food accompaniment since the almighty French fry. I hadn’t tried one of these delicious morsels until I moved to North Carolina as a teenager. Give me some ribs, coleslaw, sweet tea, and some cookout hush puppies and I’m good to go.

To keep them light and fluffy, I use self-rising flour and self-rising cornmeal, and also a gentle hand when mixing in the bacon, cheese, and jalapeño. If you don’t want to buy a whole bag of self-rising flour to get the ½ cup you need, make your own by combining ½ cup all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder. And keep an eye on the oil temperature when you are frying: too cold, and the fritters will soak up oil.

You’re going to love these. Eat them alone or with a yummy protein like fried chicken. Nom nom nom.

Canola oil, for frying

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

½ cup self-rising flour (see headnote)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

½ cup crumbled cooked bacon (from about 4 slices)

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile

2 tablespoons minced shallot

¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Heat a 2-inch depth of canola oil in a large pot or deep fryer until it registers 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer.

In a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Fold in the bacon, jalapeño, shallot, and cheddar (if using), being careful not to overmix.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set nearby. When the oil is hot, in batches of about 8 hush puppies, use a spoon or small scoop to scoop up batter and carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry, turning as needed and pressing each fritter into the oil to submerge it, until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the hush puppies from the oil and transfer to the lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat until all the batter has been used, letting the oil return to temperature between batches.