Stuffed Onions

adapted from Martha

Yellow onions stuffed with sausage and fresh herbs, topped with a bit of swiss, then roasted ’till they’re sweet and tender.  The stuffing mixture can easily be made a day ahead of time.

Ingredients

8 small-to-medium yellow onions

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or lard

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (or Polish sausage, or chorizo, we’ve got plenty to choose from at the farmstand!)

1/3 cup grated tart green apple

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (3 ounces)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice off tops and bottoms of onions, leaving at least a 2-inch diameter exposed at the top. Scoop out the inside of each onion (about halfway down) using a melon baller or a spoon. Season insides with salt. Transfer onions to a baking dish, and cover with parchment, then foil. Bake until just starting to soften, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble sausage into skillet, and cook, stirring, until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add apple and fennel seeds, and cook until sausage is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

Drain sausage mixture, reserving juices in a medium bowl. Finely chop sausage mixture, and add to bowl.

Stir in breadcrumbs, parsley, sage, and 1/4 cup Gruyere. Let cool.

Fill onions with stuffing (about 3 tablespoons each), then top with remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere. Bake until tops are crisp and brown, about 20 minutes more.