February 1, 2008

And on the side...

While the roasted chicken was a bust, the side dishes I made last night were excellent.

First, I roasted thick potato wedges--coated with olive oil, salt, & garlic pepper--in the oven at 375 for an hour (turning after 30 minutes). They were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Perfect.

I also made a recipe I'd been wanting to try from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries: Baked Onions with Parmesan and Cream.

Of this recipe, Slater writes, "I normally eat these deeply savory baked onions as a side-dish to cold roast beef, and that is probably when they are at their best. But today I have them with a plainly roasted chicken and it is quite one of the most splendid meals I can remember."

Here's what I did:
  • Set the oven to 375.
  • Peel some large white onions. (I would use one onion per person.)
  • Bring the onions to a boil in a deep pot of water. Let them simmer for about 25 minutes, until tender. Lift them out with a slotted spoon.
  • Slice the onions in half from root to tip, then put them cut-side down in an oven-safe dish.
  • Pour heavy cream over the onions (Use 1 1/4 cups for four whole onions.)
  • Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, and a "good handful" of grated Parmesan.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
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I'd never eaten onions as their own dish. In the oven, they become soft and sweet...a delightful contrast to the richness of the cream and cheese. (Now that I am writing about food, I feel the need to use words like delightful.)

I will definitely make this dish again! And because I like it so much, I am sending it to Radhi's Kitchen as my entry for the Jihva for Ingredients event (the theme is onions!) she's hosting this month.

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