Jalapeno Cheddar Wonton Rolls

         So here is an appetizer I created when I had two needs to address. 1- I wanted something salty and fried, 2- I wanted an appetizer for a fancier Friday takeout night for Hubby & I.

            I went through my options……chips and salsa- meh……frozen chicken wings- no, it was Lent so no meat…….fried zucchini- nah, I’ll use those tomorrow with pasta. Then it hit me like my 5:15 alarm: wontons! I knew I had them somewhere in the freezer….

            After removing about 5 undecipherable items, I found the wrappers.

            Uumm…..so now what?!? I thought maybe I would just fry them and eat them fresh from the fryer. Eh, kinda fun but not what I was looking to do. Then I thought I would fry them and create some sort of dip to use them with. Nope, no dip ideas. I meandered to the fridge and looked for some inspiration. What I found was 5 cheeses.  I contemplated making a 5-cheese wonton napoleon, but I wasn’t too sure about the goat and cheddar mingling! So I grabbed the one I thought would pack the most flavor into a little bite. Enter the jalapeno cheddar.

            And my friends, the rest is deep-fried history….Enjoy…:)

Jalapeno Cheddar Wonton Rolls

Makes: 10 

OBJ: TCW be able to fry up a meatless treat

Ingredients:

10 wonton wrappers

5 slices of jalapeno jack cheddar cheese, cut in half

1 C vegetable oil (more or less though depending on your pot, see below)

Kosher salt

Salsa & sour cream, optional for dipping

Procedures:

1. Lay out the 10 wonton wrappers

2. Top each with ½ slice of cheese:

 

3. Starting at the long side, tightly roll the wrappers leaving a little bit of wrapper to moisten:

 

4. One at a time, use your finger and water to wet the exposed end. Then finish rolling it up and use a fork to seal the roll:

 

5. Repeat wetting, rolling and sealing with the remaining wontons

6. Cover and set in fridge while you heat up oil

7. Fill a small to medium size pot with oil so that it is filled at least ½ way up sides

8. Heat oil until it is hot enough to fry.  Test it by placing the end of a wooden spoon into oil, when it touches the bottom of the pan, if it is ready, you will see bubbles start to rise.

9. Drop 5 wontons into oil and fry for at least 2-3 minutes, until brown and golden

10. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle with salt. Repeat frying and salting process with remaining 5 wontons

11. Serve hot with salsa and sour cream