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Fried Cucumbers with Sour Cream Dipping Sauce

This appetizer plays with cucumber's crunchy appeal by coating slices with a spiced cornmeal crust and frying them up until piping hot; a cool green goddess-style dip squelches the heat. From: Saveur SERVES 8-12

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced chives
1 tbsp. minced parsley
1 tbsp. minced tarragon
2 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with 1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ small yellow onion, grated, juice reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE CUCUMBERS
2 cups cornmeal
1½ cups flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. celery salt
1½ tsp. sweet paprika
1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1½ tsp. garlic powder
1½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ lb. cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 3" x ½" sticks

For the sauce, stir together sour cream, milk, juice, chives, parsley, tarragon, garlic paste, onion with juices, and salt and pepper in a bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pour oil to a depth of 2" in a 6-qt. Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, celery salt, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in a large bowl. Working in batches, add cucumber slices to cornmeal mixture and toss evenly to coat; transfer to oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer slices to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Serve hot with dipping sauce.