Jane Linton is a multi-faceted Atlantan who loves the football Falcons and cooking, but not quite in that order, and she’s proud of her roots in the Peach State. Jane runs a Web Site called Southern Delights, and wrote to me recently, admitting that “you got me to thinking about my typical American meal choice, and that is a tough question! I guess that question can involve many things, like, regional, ethnic background, even religion,” Jane says. “Take for instance, here in the South, we would have to include cornbread, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, iced sweet tea with our favorite meals. There comes a time when you just crave fried chicken and gravy. All of us, I’m sure, try to watch our fat grams but just occasionally we fall from grace to indulge in something as good as fried chicken. “

Jane was kind enough to share her own Georgia-fied recipes.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (2 1/2 -to- 3-pound) broiler-fryer, cut up
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Combine buttermilk, salt, and pepper; stir well. Skin chicken if desired. Place chicken a shallow container, and pour mixture over top. Cover and let stand 20 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken.
Dredge chicken in flour, coating well. Cook in hot oil (350 degrees) until browned, turning to brown both sides. Reduce heat to 275 degrees; cover and cook 25 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Jane says Vidalia onions—native only to Vidalia, Ga., are the best in the country. She’s right. These unique onions impart a sweetness that adds an impeccably delicious flavor to any dish calling for onions. As a substitute to the usual mashed potatoes, we’ve included Jane’s Vidalia Onion Souffle as a side to the buttermilk fried chicken. Can you hear Ray Charles singing yet?

Baked Vidalia Onion Souffle

1 pound Vidalia sweet onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet, saute onions in butter until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cooked onions, soup, flour, eggs, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, until brown and bubbly. Serve with French bread rounds or crackers.