Paprika wings and mayonnaise

The tastiest meat is always near the bone, and that makes chicken wings the best part of the bird when it comes to pure, unabashed flavour.
Inexpensive, readily available and requiring little or no preparation, these popular snacks are often treated to marinades that take their influence from China. A little soy or Hoisin sauce certainly makes them delicious, but in this recipe we are adorning them with nothing more complex than salt and paprika.
The spice's distinctive red colour also adds character to the mayonnaise served alongside as a dipping sauce.
Paprika is available in sweet, hot or bitter-sweet styles. I suggest using mainly sweet, with a dash of the hot to give the dish a kick.
24 chicken wings
2 Tbsps pure olive oil
2 tsps sweet and/or hot paprika
salt
Paprika mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk
half tsp sweet and/or hot paprika
half cup grapeseed oil
3 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Set oven to 180C. Trim off excess fat from chicken wings, toss them in the oil, paprika and salt. Place in one layer in a baking dish or ovenproof frypan and bake or fan-bake for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden-brown. Put aside to cool a little.
Meanwhile, in a warm bowl beat the egg yolk and paprika with a wire whisk while drizzling in the oil, drop by drop at first, then in a thin stream as the mixture thickens. You could also use a food processor or blender for this.
Season to taste and serve as a dip with the wings. Eating these is messy so be sure to provide plenty of napkins or paper towels, plus a bowl for the discarded bones.

(Increase ingredients to suit numbers)
 
Wine match

Given that this dish will probably be passed around at a gathering, the guests are likely to be drinking everything from beer to sparkling wine, but if you serve it on its own and want to find the perfect match, head for the chardonnay shelf.
Palliser Estate Chardonnay 2008, from Martinborough, north of Wellington, was fermented and matured in French oak barrels, adding toast-like aromas to its peach and lemon rind bouquet (the "toast" comes from the practice of charring the insides of the barrels over an open fire).
On the palate it is  richly fruited and smooth enough to match the mayonnaise. Look for it in the high-$20s. Half that price will buy you a bottle of the same company's Pencarrow Chardonnay 2009. It is a much simpler wine, but is pleasant drinking.