Blooming Onion w/ Herbed Béchamel Sauce
There has been a lot going on with our society lately. It is great to see our country moving in the right direction, with social equality (yay gay marriage!) and food quality. This past week, the FDA took partially hydrogenated oils OFF the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list! All companies have three years to phase these harmful oils out of our food system. Also, big name companies like Subway, Kraft and General Mills have taken the pledge to remove artificial ingredients from their food. It seems that we have voted with our dollars and won!
Even with all these great steps in the right direction, there are still so many things to stay away from in our food system; which is why Ben and I have decided to only buy organic/wild caught meat and fish from now on. Since this is, obviously, much more expensive, we are trying to have more vegetarian meals each week.
Ben has wanted me to cook baked onions for a while, ever since I told him about my Creamy Baked Onions with Shrimp recipe. This dish gives you the pleasure of cutting off pieces of the onion, just like you would with meat. The creamy béchamel ties everything together into a rich, yet light veggie meal. If you have never tried a baked onion, I have to say it is something to add to your bucket list!
Blooming Onion w/ Herbed Bechamel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 oz flour
- 1 c whole milk
- 1 T thyme chopped
- 1 T parsley chopped
- 1 T rosemary chopped
- 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 large sweet yellow onion
- 1 lb yukon gold potatoes large diced
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 t salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
- 1/2 lb kale destemmed
- 1 t olive oil
- 1 T lemon juice
Instructions
- For the onion, cut the onion in half so that the root is still intact. Shave off the very bottom of the root and the very bottom of the top talk, so that the onions will sit without rolling.
- Cut the onion halves four times (like a pizza), but be sure not to cut all the way through.
- Bake at 425F until onion is tender, about 40 minutes. (If you want yours a little more charred, turn on the broiler for the last 5 minutes.)
- For the potatoes, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast with the onion for the last 25 minutes.
- For the sauce, heat butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add flour and stir to combine. Cook until roux is formed and begins to turn tan.
- Raise heat to medium-high and whisk in milk until all clumps are gone.
- Add the herbs, reduce the heat to medium and cook until sauce has thickened to desired level.
- Season to taste with red pepper, salt and pepper. Set aside on low heat.
- For the kale, heat 1 t olive oil large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the kale and sauté unit wilted. Finish with the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
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