I had long wanted to make stuffed baked onions, and spent a lot of time figuring out how to fill them so they would hold their shape and not taste sharp — and I finally worked it out. The onions are briefly boiled first, which makes them soft and completely mild, almost a little sweet. Then they're stuffed with a savory sautéed ground meat mixture made with heavy cream and processed cheese, and baked in the oven. The result is delicious, hearty, and a little unexpected — best served with mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 800 g onion (6 pieces)
- 200 g ground meat (I used beef)
- 100 ml heavy cream 10%-20%
- 1 processed cheese wedge
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 50 g cheese
- salt
- pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Peel the onions.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the whole onions, and cook for 15 minutes.
Drain and let the onions cool.
Cut each onion in half lengthwise.
Remove the inner layers from each half, leaving three outer layers intact.
Finely chop about one-third of the removed onion.
Finely chop the garlic as well.
Grate the processed cheese on a grater or cut it into small pieces.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet.
Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the ground meat and cook for 10-15 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula the entire time so it cooks evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the heavy cream into the meat mixture, add the processed cheese, and stir to combine.
Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The cheese should melt completely, the ground meat should become very tender, and the sauce should thicken.
Slice the cheese into thin pieces.
Arrange the prepared onion halves in a baking dish.
Fill each onion half with the meat mixture, mounding it slightly.
Place a slice of cheese on top of each.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 25-30 minutes.
Serve the baked onions with meat filling hot (with mashed potatoes or another side dish).
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