Red Onion Gratin

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Red Onion Gratin ~ the onion bakes up soft and sweet in a cheesy sauce finished off with a crunchy herb crumb topping in this unusual gratin!

Ingredients

• 2 red onions
• olive oil for brushing
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• ⅔ cups heavy cream
• 3 tbsp dry sherry
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• dash of nutmeg (I grate mine fresh)
• handful of fresh thyme
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

Method

1. Set oven to 400F
2. Peel and thickly slice the onions.
3. Heat a grill pan until quite hot, and brush the onion slices lightly with olive oil. Grill the slices for a minute or two on each side so that they get slightly softened and have nice grill marks. Set them aside.
4. In a saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat, and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the cream and sherry and whisk until smooth. Stir constantly while the mixture comes up to a simmer and is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste and the dash of nutmeg.
5. Pour the sauce into a cast iron skillet or gratin dish. Arrange the onion slices over the sauce.
6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over all.
7. Stir the breadcrumbs together with the last tablespoon of melted butter, and a little salt, pepper, and a few thyme leaves. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese,
8. Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and bubbling. You can run the gratin under the broiler at the last minute if you want extra browning,

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island