onion blossom with dipping sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise 
2 Tbls. grated horseradish
2 tsp.  ketchup
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 dash black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 pinch ground thyme
1 egg - beaten
1 cup milk 
1 lrg. Vidalia onion - flowered (see instructions, below)

-Stir together first 8 ingredients; cover and refrigerate until needed.
-Stir together flour, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and thyme; set aside.
-Beat together egg and milk; set aside.
-Thoroughly cover flowered onion in flour mixture, shaking off excess; coat onion in egg wash; thoroughly cover onion in flour mixture, shaking off excess.
-Refrigerate coated onion for 30 minutes.
-Deep-fry in 350 degree oil for 10 minutes; drain on a brown paper bag.
-Serve fried onion with prepared sauce for dipping.
 

To flower an onion: Nifty gadgets that make these special cuts in one felt swoop are available at many kitchen stores and online. If you don’t have one, following is my attempt to describe the process of hand-cutting: Slice 1" off of the top of the onion, leaving the root end intact. Remove the papery skin. With a sharp chef's knife, make slices from the center of the onion outwards, cutting down to about 1/2" from the root end. Your cuts should look like the spokes of a wagon wheel. Make a total of 16 cuts, spaced evenly. Gently spread out the pieces of onions. What you will have is an onion which resembles a flower. Good luck!