oven toasted onions + shallots

If i could put these on everything, i totally would. You will probably be tempted to do the same. Crunchy, not greasy or oily, rich, slightly sweet, a touch salty….they can enhance just about any dish and take it right to the top. You can use these whenever a recipe calls for fried onions and save yourself a few calories (and a lot of oil, even though that oil is delicious after frying onions.) Not gonna sugar coat things here, these take forever to make, but the bulk of that is totally inactive time. they’re super easy, AND you can make a giant batch of them and store them in your pantry for 2-3 weeks (if they last even more than a few days!) or in the fridge for 2 months, or in the freezer for a year! There really isn’t any reason to not make them and keep em around to add instant pop to salads, mujadara, rice, beans, curries, stir fries, sandwiches….really anything you want. (and they are the ultimate topping to some green bean casserole)

oven toasted onions + shallots

sj If i could put these on everything, i totally would. You will probably be tempted to do the same. Crunchy, not greasy or… 10 items or less oven toasted onions + shallots European make it paper

yield: 1-2 cups Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours 1 1/2 - 2 hours

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

rating 4.5/5

( 4 voted )

ingredients:

450g | 1 lb of thinly sliced (6mm | 1/4in thick) onions and/or shallots, i use 3 parts onion to 2 parts shallot

1 tsp fine salt

1-2 tsp neutral cooking oil  

directions:

Heat oven to 350F

Toss onions/shallots with salt and oil

Spread out evenly over a lined baking sheet (or sheets)

Bake until golden brown, stirring well after 30 minutes, and then every 15-20 after that. It is very important to try and keep the edges rotating into the middle so that they cook evenly

Once they are golden brown, turn heat down to 250F and continue to bake (and stirring every 15-20 minutes) until totally dry and crispy. If they start to edge toward being too dark for you, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and finish drying them at that temp.

After cooling completely, store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 weeks, in the fridge for 2 months, or in the freezer for up to a year

To re-crisp, simply place in the oven on a low setting (200F or lower) until crisped again

No mise en place picture on this one, it only has a few ingredients. You can use white or yellow (non sweet) onions, and shallots, or just one or the other. Some salt and a little oil and that’s it. The rest of the magic is all in the baking, caramelising and concentrating the flavours, while mellow the bite and creating a smoky, toasted, crunchy deliciousness. To bake these, you spread out your coated onions and/or shallots onto a lined baking sheet (the thinner the layer the quicker they’ll cook up) and bake at 350F, stirring every 15-20 minutes until they’re light golden brown, then you reduce the heat to 250F and continue cooking until they’re crispy and dry. That’s it! It take a long time, but again, so very worth it. You can speed up the slicing by using a food processor or mandoline, which is especially recommended when making large amounts.

This is a seriously short post. It’s best to let the magic to happen in your mouth for this one. Don’t be afraid to go crazy with these, they’re a wonderfully easy and cheap way to bring a whole new life to your dishes. Also, keep in mind that you will end up with WAY less than what you start with (it’s even more dramatic than cooking spinach or greens) so go big.