Barefoot Bloggers: Herb Roasted Onions

It's Barefoot Blogger time again. The second and fourth Thursday of every month, this group of foodies test one of Ina Gartens recipes. Kelly from Baking with the Boys chose Ina Garten's Herb Roasted Onions as her selection for one of November's Barefoot Bloggers recipes. Boy did these make the house smell good. I actually didn't think I liked onions but now realize that I never (or hardly) had them growing up because my mother is allergic to them. These would make a great side dish to a chicken entree or even a nice steak. It only called for a few ingredients, and all things that I had on hand so I immediately liked this recipe. Here is what you will need:

Herb-Roasted Onions
Recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook
2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves (Do you see the parsley I have? I found this in the freezer section at Target!)

Slice off the stem end of the onion.

Take off the bottom of the root to make it flat. Leave root intact.

Slice in half.

Quarter.

Peel off paper skin.

Half one more time. The intact root should hold each piece together.

Do this to all three onions and place in bowl.

To make the vinagrette, in a seperate bowl mix the lemon juice. I'm sure fresher is better, but I'm using lemon juice from a jar in the fridge.

Dijon mustard. Love this stuff!

Garlic. You can see my ROUNDED teaspoon.

Dried thyme.

Let me introduce you to my salt and pepper shakers. These were a gift from my dad and came from a winery in Napa Valley. I love that they grind with a press of your thumb.

Now, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk all this together.

And now you have the vinaigrette.

Pour this over your onions (and I let this sit in the marinade for 15 minutes.)

Using a slotted spoon remove the onions and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.

You will be left with a little vinaigrette in the bowl. Reserve this to drizzle over the roasted onions in the end. Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes.

This is what they look like after 15 minutes. I took them out and tossed them around and put the pan back in the oven.

After another 15 minutes they are nice and browned.

I poured the remaining dressing back over the onions and gave them a nice toss.

I personally do not prefer to eat onions this way. I like the flavor, but am not a fan of taking a big bite of onion. I can see this as a versatile dish, adding other herbs would be great too...think rosemary; wow wouldn't that be a nice rustic side? I like that these can be served warm or at room temperature, making this a great side dish for a buffet where you can set it and forget it.

After I made these I passed them along to my neighbors, so I will have to wait and see what they thought of them.