Chef notes
This is a reimagining of French onion soup as a salad. Unsurprisingly, it has no problem transitioning into the new culinary form. Onions, greatly underused as a stand-alone vegetable, are cooked in a hot oven until the collapse and become sweet and silky. Unlike in the soup, we aren’t looking for caramelized onions here; we want more structure than that, to show off the sturdy physicality and slippery texture of this versatile allium. Accents of thyme, earthy and fragrant, bring a smooth roundness to the onions, while the mustardy vinaigrette injects welcome acidity with a hint of bitterness. Cooking the onions in the oven is a lovely hands-off approach but you could also cook them in a pan on the stovetop if you prefer.
Technique tip: Don’t pile the onions up; they will just steam. Arrange in a single layer; that way, the onions touching the hot surface of the sheet pan will get darker and crispy in parts. We don’t want the onions to be completely caramelized, as we want to show off the silkiness of the onion so don’t be tempted to slice them razor thin; narrow wedges are fine.
Swap options: Swap onions for leeks. If you don’t have fresh thyme, you could use dried thyme or other woody herbs like rosemary or sage. You can also replace the quinoa with another grain like brown rice or pearl barley.
Dining and Cooking