Web Exclusive Round 2 Recipe Potato Stuffed Onions

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a Dutch oven, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Peel onions; using a slotted spoon, place onions in boiling water. Cook for 4-6 minutes more until softened; remove and let stand until cool enough to handle. Cut a 1/4-in. slice off the top of each onion. Remove center, leaving a 1/2-in shell. Chop centers and tops of onions; set aside. In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towel to drain. In the drippings, saute chopped onion until tender. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Add the butter and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender. Add bacon, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stuff onion shells; place in an ungreased shallow 1-qt. baking dish. Pour broth around onions. Bake, uncovered, until tender, 45 minutes, basting frequently during the first 15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

(WEB EXCLUSIVE) ROUND 2 RECIPE: FARMHOUSE HASH TAQUITOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl combined leftover hash, chili seasoning and 1/2 cup of cheese, mix until well blended. Wrap tortillas in a damp towel and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Place 2 tablespoon of the hash and cheese mixture on the lower third of a corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto the prepared baking sheet. Top with remaining cheese and bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, sausage, paprika, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste. Saute stirring frequently, until the potatoes and carrots are tender, and the sausage is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer over low heat and add the vinegar. Crack an egg into a small bowl and carefully slide it into the simmering water. Quickly repeat with remaining eggs. Using a slotted spoon, carefully corral the white of each egg around its yolk. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm, or to the desired degree of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Divide the hash among 4 serving plates and top the hash with a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

POTATO STUFFED BAKED ONIONS

Steps:

• Clean onions; with knife, cut a 1/16th" deep X in the bottom of the onions; parboil onions 10 minutes in salted water.
• Cool and cut off bottoms of onions; punch center of onion thru bottom, leaving 2 or 3 outer layers intact; set aside.
• Boil potatoes until cooked through; mash; add sour cream and cream cheese and mash;add butter and milk and mash; add salt and white pepper to taste; cool until just warm.
• Stuff onions with a pastry bag and place in 2" deep baking pan; brush onions and potatoes with melted butter and sprinkle with grated parmesan; bake at 375° for 20 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and potatoes are heated through.

CHEESY ONION DIP-STUFFED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prick potatoes several times with a fork and place onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and reserve the shells.
• Mix the pulp with sour cream, Cheddar cheese, butter, onion dip mix, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture back into the shells and sprinkle the tops with paprika.
• Bake in the oven until heated through and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

THANKSGIVING STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut the top 1/2 inch from each onion, peel the onions, and with a melon-ball cutter scoop out the centers, reserving the onion pieces, leaving 2 layers of onion or 1/3-inch-thick shells, and leaving the bottoms slightly thicker. Transfer the reserved onion pieces to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish, drizzle the broth over them, and arrange the onion shells, inverted on top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake the onions in the middle of preheated 425°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the shells are just tender. Remove and reserve the shells, into the onion pieces stir the cream, the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste, and bake the mixture, uncovered, in the 425°F. oven, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.
• While the creamed onions are baking, in each reserved onion shell layer 1/4 cup of the stuffing, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cranberry sauce, and another 1/4 cup of the turkey and holding each shell in one hand pack the layers lightly. Arrange the stuffed onions on top of the baked creamed onions and pour 2 tablespoons of the gravy into each stuffed onion. Top each stuffed onion with 1/3 cup of the mashed potatoes, mounding them and scoring them with a fork, and bake the onions in the 425°F. oven, stirring the creamed onions occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.

PARMESAN POTATO-STUFFED ROASTED ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Trim root ends flush with onions (so they will stand upright). Cut off tops of onions 1 inch from pointed blossom end and reserve. In a small flameproof baking pan stand onions upright and replace reserved tops. Brush onions with oil a roast in middle of oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until centers are just knife-tender.
• While onions are roasting, in a saucepan boil potatoes in water to cover 15 minutes, or until tender, and drain in a colander. Cool potatoes until they can just be handled and peel. Return potatoes to pan.
• Transfer onions to a work surface to cool and add wine, water, and cream to baking pan. On top of stove cook cream mixture over moderate heat, stirring, until brown bits scraped from bottom of baking pan are just dissolved and add to potatoes.
• Leaving outermost layer of each onion inside skin, carefully scoop remaining layers out of onion shells with a small spoon and chop. In a small skillet sauté chopped onion in butter over moderately high heat until golden and add to potato mixture.
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
• Mash potato mixture with a potato masher until potatoes ate coarsely mashed and liquid is incorporated and force through a food mill fitted with fine disk into a bowl. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Spoon potato mixture into onion shells and replace tops. Onions may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a small baking pan roast onions in middle of oven until heated through, 15 to 25 minutes.

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Make a lengthwise cut into each onion from the top to root end, slicing only halfway through to the middle of the onion. (This will make it easier to separate the layers.) Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly until the onions are softened through the middle and the layers separate easily, about 25 minutes. Transfer onions to a cutting board and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine saffron and lemon juice, and let sit.
• Separate the onion layers until just the centers remain. (You may have to trim the root ends a bit more if the layers don't completely separate.) Cut the 2 largest outer layers from each onion in half for 12 equal pieces, then count out more of the inner layers for a total of 20 to 24 stuffed onions. (The number will vary depending on the size of onions.) Finely chop the remaining onion centers and any remaining onion layers to make 1 cup; a little less or more is OK.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a high-sided, 12-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in rice and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until evenly coated. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, saffron-lemon juice, cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid is just absorbed, about 3 minutes (rice will still be undercooked). Stir in toasted almonds, pistachios, raisins, cherries and parsley.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center of each onion layer so that the onion loosely covers the filling. (Rice will expand; bundles should be partly open.) Scrape out and discard any remaining rice (or reserve for future use) and clean out the skillet.
• Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and arrange onions seam side up in a single layer. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, season onions with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil over high, cover tightly and transfer to the oven to bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, rice is cooked through and onions are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and drizzle with oil. Serve warm.

CARAMELIZED ONION-STUFFED BAKED POTATO

Steps:

• Pierce potatoes with a fork; arroange on paper towels in microwave.
• Microwave on High for 10 minutes or until done.
• Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell.
• Combine potato pulp, 1/4 cup cheese, sour cream, salt& pepper.
• Spoon potato mixture evenly into shells.
• Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and sugar; saute 8 minutes or until browned.
• Stir in sherry, worcestershire sauce, thyme,& garlic.
• Cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
• Top each potato half with about 2 tablespoons onion mixture and 1 tablespoon of cheese.
• Microwave on high 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
• (Note: can also warm potatoes in oven for a few minutes if you're already using your oven.).