Hot Wings with Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese Dressing

Hot Wings with Roasted Garlic Blue Cheese Dressing and Bacon

Blue Cheese Dressing:

4 ounces blue cheese crumbled (any kind will do, Maytag is quite good, Roquefort is classic, I used goat blue I bought at Mars Cheese Castle)
1/4 cup crema
1/4 cup buttermilk
squeeze fresh lemon
1 head roasted garlic (plus some of the oil if you like)
2 strips bacon, cut into lardons
salt and pepper to taste

First preheat oven to 375 and shave the top off a head of garlic.

You could just drizzle olive oil over it on a piece of foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for @ 1 hour.  However, if you would like some roasted garlic oil left over, you should put it in a ramekin, cover with olive oil about half way up the head of garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper –

Bake at 375 for @ an hour, and you will have this:

You can reserve the oil for other uses.  Pasta sauce maybe?

Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy in a small pan.  Start with a cold pan this time only.  It will turn out better, promise.  Drain lardons on paper towels.  Save bacon fat if you want (I’m pretty sure you want to.) Meanwhile mix crema, buttermilk, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.  Crumble in blue cheese and smash in with a fork.  If you prefer smooth dressing, puree in a food processor or blender.   Squeeze garlic out of the head, pressing from the bottom, discarding the skin. Mince fine and stir into dressing. Add salt, roasted garlic oil, and pepper to taste.  Stir in bacon.

For the wings:

1 lb wings or drummettes
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Frank’s or Louisana Red Hot are my choices)
1 tablespoon melted butter
Srihacha to taste (if you’re brave/masochistic.  Culinarily, I am both)

Season wings with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay wings out in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with a broiler rack or tin foil in which you have poked holes.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until skin is crispy.

Mix hot sauce and butter in a bowl.  Toss wings in a bowl until coated.  Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.