Thyme Scented Baked Onions with Bacon & Cheese

Serves	4
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	1 hour, 15 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 45 minutes
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

Delicious baked onions with fresh thyme, bacon and Parmesan cheese; makes a perfect comforting supper dish when served with crusty bread.

Ingredients

4 Large Onions
50g Fresh Wholemeal Breadcrumbs
100g smoked lardons or streaky bacon, chopped into small dice
Crème Fraîche (to mix)
50g Parmesan Cheese (plus a little extra for sprinkling over the top)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Fresh Thyme (I used Lemon Thyme & it was wonderful)
25g Butter (Salted is best)

Note

For vegetarians, omit the bacon and add 100g of grated cheese such as Cheddar or Cheshire cheese - I have also used Sage Derby in the past which works beautifully.

Directions

Step 1	Cook the onions in their skins for 30 minutes in boiling water, then drain and allow to cool before slipping the skins off. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the onion water for baking later.
Step 2	Cut the top of each onion and carefully remove the centres, leaving about 1cm (1") of onion shell. Chop the removed onion centres very finely.
Step 3	In a large bowl, mix the chopped onion centres, bacon pieces, breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of finely chopped thyme and Parmesan cheese together, using your hands if necessary. Add sufficient crème fraîche to bind the mixture and then season with black pepper to taste; I used 1/4 teaspoon.
Step 4	Spoon the mixture into the onion shells, pressing the mixture down firmly to fill the cavity. Stand the studded onions in an oven-proof dish, shallow is best, and then spoon the reserved onion water in and around the onions. Top each onion with a knob of butter.
Step 5	Bake the onions at 190C/375F/Gas 5 for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Take the onions out just before the end of cooking and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over them , then bake for a further 5 minutes.
Step 6	Serve hot with salad, crusty bread or grilled tomatoes for a comforting lunch or supper dish.
Step 7	Vegetarian: For vegetarians, omit the bacon and add 100g of grated cheese such as Cheddar or Cheshire cheese - I have also used sage Derby in the past which works beautifully.