"This Lord of the Rings personal pie is a tailgater favorite. Get ready to wow your friends and family at the gathering."
12 ounces hand-stretched pizza dough
1 1/2 ounces barbecue sauce
2 ounces pizza sauce
1/2 pound seasoned ground beef, cooked
5–6 large panko-crusted steak-cut onion rings (recipe below)
4 ounces fresh shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 ounces fine shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 ounces cold fresh chopped kosher pickles
Barbecue sauce to drizzle
For Panko-Crusted Onion Rings:
2 large sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 pint buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg whites
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
Panko-Crusted Onion Rings:
Mix the buttermilk and cayenne pepper. Place the sliced onions in the buttermilk mixture for at least one hour. Cover, and refrigerate while soaking. Once the onions have soaked, remove them from the refrigerator. Set it aside.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites. Set it aside.
In a shallow dish, mix the flour, cornmeal, panko, and seasonings. Remove each ring from the buttermilk, allow excess to drip off, and then dip in egg whites, and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, coating each onion slice well.
Place each breaded ring on the baking sheet in a single layer. When all the rings are breaded, spray each with nonstick spray to seal on the breading.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and flip each ring using tongs. Spray the other side with nonstick spray, and then bake for an additional 10 minutes. Set aside while making the pizza.
For the Pizza:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Stretch the pizza dough onto the pizza pan. Mix together the barbecue sauce and pizza sauce. Pre-cook the ground beef and drain well. Spread the sauce mixture over the dough. Top with the cheeses, cooked beef and cooked onion rings.
Bake at 450°F for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with cold fresh chopped kosher pickles.
Finish with a drizzle of barbecue sauce.