Double-Fried Buffalo Wings with Chunky Blue Cheese

Method

1. Pat the wings thoroughly dry. Mix the salt and baking powder, sift it over the wings and toss until evenly coated. Spread them on a rack set over a tray, not touching, and refrigerate uncovered for 8 h. The baking powder makes the skin slightly alkaline so it browns and blisters, and the cold air dries the surface for a much crisper finish.

   Add in this stepChicken wing pieces (drumettes and flats) 16Salt 1½ tspBaking powder (aluminium-free) 1 tsp

2. Dressing: mash half the blue cheese with the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk and lemon juice until creamy, then gently fold in the rest of the cheese in rough crumbles with the chives and pepper so it stays chunky. Refrigerate. Cut the celery and peeled carrot into 8–10 cm sticks and keep them in cold water.

   Add in this stepBlue cheese 70 gSour cream 3 tbspMayonnaise 2 tbspMilk 1 tbspLemon juice 1 tspChives, finely sliced 1 tbspBlack pepper to tasteCelery stalks 2Carrot 1

3. Pour the oil into a heavy 22 cm pot, no more than half full, and heat over medium heat for about 8 min to 130 °C. This first, gentle fry cooks the meat through and renders the fat under the skin. Keep a lid nearby and never leave the oil unattended.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil for deep-frying 1½ L

   medium heat

4. Lower the wings in, away from you, and fry in 2 batch(es), 30 min in total, holding the oil at 125–135 °C (medium heat). They should take on almost no colour; lift them onto a rack when the skin is taut and the meat is cooked through (75 °C). Rest at least 10 minutes so surface moisture evaporates and the second fry gets crisper. You can refrigerate them at this stage and finish hours later.

   medium heat

5. In a 16 cm saucepan, warm the hot sauce, honey, Worcestershire, cayenne and grated garlic over medium-low heat for 2 min, until small bubbles appear at the edge, then take it off the heat. Whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time until the sauce turns thick, glossy and emulsified. Keep it warm but don't boil it again, or it will split.

   Add in this stepCayenne pepper hot sauce (thin, vinegar-based, Louisiana-style) 80 mlHoney 1 tspWorcestershire sauce ½ tspGround cayenne pepper 1 pinchGarlic clove, finely grated 1Unsalted butter, cold and cubed 50 g

   medium-low heat

6. Heat the oil over high heat for about 5 min to 190 °C, then fry the wings a second time in 2 batch(es), 8 min in total, until deep golden, blistered and they sound crisp when tapped with tongs. Bring the oil back to 190 °C between batches.

   high heat

7. Tip the wings into a large warmed bowl, pour over the sauce and toss quickly. Serve at once with the celery and carrot sticks and the blue cheese dressing.