Stuffed Onions Provençal

Stuffed Onions Provençal
(by Sue Moran, The View from Great Island)

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet onions (Vidalia or similar)
• 6 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 4 tbsp butter, divided
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large shallots, minced
• Sherry, for the filling and the baking dish
• 2 tsp herbes de Provence
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 4 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tbsp chopped chives

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 375°. Oil a baking dish large enough to fit the onions.
2. With the flattest side down, slice the top off each onion. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside, leaving a layer of flesh around the edge and keeping the bottom intact. Reserve the scooped-out bits.
3. Rub each onion, inside and out, with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Set the onions in the baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, finely chop 1 cup of the reserved onion flesh. Heat 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter in a sauté pan and cook the garlic, shallot and chopped onion for 7 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add a splash of sherry and cook until it's absorbed.
6. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the herbes de Provence, breadcrumbs, parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Fill the onions with the stuffing, pressing it in and mounding it up on top. Dot with butter.
8. Pour sherry into the baking dish (we used our Lucy the Octopus Square Baking Dish (coming this December!). Cover loosely with foil and bake another 30 minutes, until the stuffed onions are completely tender and the toppings in the center begin to brown. Check with a small knife, it should slide in without resistance.
9. Top with chives (the final onion) and serve as a side dish.