Torpedo shallots, the most generously proportioned and mild-tasting of the shallot family roast superbly, their translucent flesh almost melting inside their skins. I have eaten them this way with creamy goat’s cheese mashed with herbs (thyme, tarragon, chives) and with a lump of good mouth-puckering Cheddar too. Yet they will stand as a vegetable too. I think it worth including them here for that alone.

banana shallots   or small onions– 4 per person

olive oil

thyme sprigs

balsamic vinegar

maybe a little cheese such as Caerphilly or cheddar

 

 Put the oven on at 190˚C/Gas 5. Bake the shallots, in their skins with a light drizzle of oil, a little balsamic vinegar and a few of the sprigs of thyme, for about 30 minutes till soft to the touch. Test one, it should be meltingly soft inside.

Put the shallots on plates, cut into each shallot, pour in a drop or two of olive oil and a few of the thyme leaves and a few thin scraps of cheese. Press together until the cheese softens. Push the onion from its skin and eat whilst hot.