I often bake an onion at this time of year. I like slicing into the crisp brown skins and letting butter or cheese melt in the layers of translucent onion within. On a cool autumn day it makes a satisfying enough lunch with some warm soda bread. Spreading the warm, honey coloured onion flesh and some piquant goat’s cheese onto slices of toasted sourdough on a golden autumn day is something that gives me enormous pleasure.

 

For 2, as  light main course with bread

 

banana or torpedo shallots – 6
a few branches of thyme
bay leaves – 2

a log or pyramid of goat’s cheese such as Golden Cross or Tymsboro

 

Put the onions, still in their skins, in a baking dish or roasting tin and put them in a hot oven at about 200˚C/gas 6 till the skins are dark brown and the flesh inside is soft and melting. I have found the elegant, torpedo onions to be baked within 45 minutes. Fatter, jollier onions can take an hour or longer. The point to watch is that the flesh must be absolutely soft.

 

Split each onion in half along its length, then pour in a spoonful of olive oil, a knob of butter and a slice of goat’s cheese, squeeze the onion together so that the cheese softens somewhat in the heat.