Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions with Thyme and Garlic
Anyone else always looking for something new to add to your normal menu at Christmas? I sure am. I came across a photo online that had cipollini onions; they’re not your typical onion. They are sweeter, but the size is what is so unique. Yes, there are pearl onions, which I use in my Oven-Braised Beef Stew, but these have their own oval shape that just makes them pleasing to the eye. I wanted to create something that was a simple, but super-flavorful side dish, because there can never be enough sides during the holidays.
Some online recipes call for adding balsamic vinegar to the roasted cipollinis, but I think using simpler ingredients do very well here. Fresh thyme sprigs, salt and pepper, oil and butter lend flavor that is so delicious.
This recipe will take some babysitting. You will need to stir every few minutes while cooking on the stove top, and about every 10 minutes while in the oven, but believe me, this dish is so worth the attention.
I use a large cast-iron skillet. It maintains its heat and creates wonderful browning on the potatoes and onions. When stirring, be sure most of the onions are touching the bottom of the skillet, to get some good caramelization on them.
Enjoy!
Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions with Thyme and Garlic
Equipment
- 10” to 12” cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Cipollini onions, see Notes
- water, for boiling to remove skins
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablesoons avocado oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
- 5 whole garlic cloves
- 4 fresh thyme stems
- 2 teaspoons Italian parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bring about 3 inches of water up to a boil in a medium saucepan. Carefully lower the onions into the water and boil for 2 minutes.
- Drain the onions and rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking process).
- When the onions are cool enough to handle, trim the ends of each onion and peel the outer layer off and discard. Set onions aside.
- Melt the butter with the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, potatoes, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat the veggies. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until you begin to see some browning, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
- Place the skillet in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, stirring after 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Serve from the skillet or pour the veggies into a shallow serving bowl.
- Top with the parsley. Serve immediately while still warm.
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