Each month, we look forward to the arrival of the LCBO’s Food & Drink Magazine. It’s always filled with great ideas for feeding the ever present crowd that invades our house every weekend. The first thing we decided to try was the mashed potatoes with caramelized onions. They are easy to make & can be put together in the morning & then finished off in the over while you are prepping the rest of dinner. The end result was outstanding. The potatoes are nice and creamy, thanks to the buttermilk and the onions are sweet, with a bit of tang from the sherry vinegar.
Onions:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
6 cups of sweet onions (like vidalia)
salt to taste
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
freshly ground pepper
Potatoes:
3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & cut into even sized chunks (note: you may want to make more taters, we didn’t have enough for the dish & had to make more)
3/4 cup of buttermilk
1/4 cup of melted butter
salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of grated asiago cheese. I think we used a whole brick, you can never have too much cheese!
1. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until butter sizzles. Add onions & salt & saute for 3 minutes or until onions start to soften. Sprinkle with sugar, turn heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in vinegar and stock. Raise heat to high and reduce until stock almost completely disappears. Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper and reserve.
2. While onions are cooking, place potatoes in cold salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until taters are tender. Drain well and return to turned off burner for a few minutes to dry off.
3. Mash potatoes with a potato masher and beat in buttermilk and butter. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Preheat oven to 375f
5. Butter a large gratin dish. Layer one third of potatoes and then half of the onions. Repeat layering, finishing with a layer of potato. Sprinkle with the grated asiago cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is browned and potatoes are hot.
