Roasting in all its Simplicity

So today marks my first official contribution to the “Barefoot Bloggers” – a group of people who share of love of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and cook their way through them, assigning a new recipe every two weeks.  How kind of them to select a supremely un-intimidating recipe to ease my entry to the fold!  Actually, Kelly who chose this recipe most likely picked it because she likes onions.  And I hope she likes mustard, too, because whoo-eee this recipe has a strong mustard flavor to it.  The components here are extremely simple – some onions, a nice mustard-herb dressing, salt and pepper.  However, unlike many roasted veggie side dishes, you will not overlook this one!  As I said, the mustard flavor is pungent (and delicious) but more importantly, the final product is gorgeous.  By keeping the root intact, the onions stay in their wedges, but they tend to separate at the layers, fanning out into tender, aromatic petals which gather the dressing in their folds.

By necessity (I only had one red onion on hand) my final product has reversed the ratio of red onions to yellow, a mistake I won’t make again.  Something about the way a red onion deepens in color and develops its blackened crust, curling up a bit at the edges – they are just so festive!  Not to mention the fact that they make for much better photos.  I would also have cut my wedges a bit thinner.  Ina did not specify how many wedges to make out of an onion, but I would suggest 8-12, depending on the size of your onions.  If the wedges are too thick, they will need more cooking time – you want to get all of the raw out of those puppies!  Of course, you could add other vegetables to your pan here – peppers, potatoes, brussel sprouts, parsnips to name a few – but the power of the Barefoot Contessa recipe is really in the simplicity.

So give this dish a try as is, then adjust to your liking – it really is infinitely adaptable.  I’m thinking my next version will incorporate some tarragon in the dressing, or maybe a drizzle of a balsamic syrup right at the end.  This could definitely be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table as well, I might add.

Roasted Onions
2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tbs. minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. good olive oil
1/2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.