Vidalia onions are local to Georgia, and I try to buy, cook and eat local whenever possible, as you know. Unlike its brothers, the yellow, red and white onion, vidalias lack the sharp, astringent taste of other onions, and in turn taste sweet. While I don’t discriminate against any onions (I adore them all), I will say you can find me grilling vidalias on the big green egg with just olive oil, salt and pepper quite often. So when I had the opportunity to team up with Williams-Sonoma and whip up something local to my great state of Georgia, I immediately thought vidalias.
So with summer beginning to sing its last sweet song, I knew I wanted to try a recipe that eases a summertime flavor into fall. My answer: a recipe for Creamed Vidalia Onion Bake with Homemade Herb Bread Crumbs. Sweet vidalias and shallots combine with creamy mushrooms and warm cinnamon, to then be topped with crispy herb breadcrumbs to create the perfect bite. Sweet + salty, soft but with a crunch.
This dish completely stands on it’s own, but it would also be the perfect accompaniment for grilled steak, roast chicken or Thanksgiving dinner. Imagine a little bit of this, a bit of stuffing, and a bit of turkey all on one fork…divine! (Is it too early to talk Turkey??)
Be sure to tune in for my Williams-Sonoma Instagram takeover this Friday; I’ll be celebrating its store opening at Ponce City Market here in Atlanta all weekend long! I’ll also be at the store all day Friday, so come say hi and join in the (yummy) festivities. Can’t be there in person, I’m periscoping from the store at 12:00 est on Friday so make sure you join us at least virtually! Truly, MKR
- 6 large vidalia onions vertically sliced
- 4 shallots vertically sliced
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme plus additional for garnish
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon & nutmeg combined
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Preheat oven to 450.
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, heat the butter and oil until melted, add onions and shallots; cook 7 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add salt, thyme, pepper, and cinnamon/nutmeg combination. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally, you do not want the onions to brown and begin caramelizing.
- Add wine and bring to a boil, cook until the wine is almost evaporated. 5 minutes.
- Add cream of mushroom and flour, stir and simmer 5 minutes.
- Pour into your baker, top with parmesan, bread crumbs and bake in the oven an additional 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, garnish with additional thyme and serve.
- 1/2 loaf fresh french bread, cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
- 4-6 sprigs fresh thyme chopped
- 2 tablespoons herbs de provenance
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix until bread is coated. Place mixture on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown; 15-20 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature then place in a large Ziploc bag. Smash contents into breadcrumbs.
I feel like Vidalia onions always get the short end of the stick – they’re always associated with the yellow and red onions, but they are actually quite tasty. Like you, I love them simply grilled. This recipe is certainly on my list now as well!