Rosemary Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Late October and I am in full soup-and-stew mode, which is where I live from now until April. I made French onion soup this week, from scratch, which takes most of a day if you do it right and is completely worth it. The key is patience: you cannot rush the onions. Three pounds of onions, sliced thin, in a heavy pot with butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for a full hour until they are the color of dark amber and sweet in a way raw onions can never suggest. Then beef broth, thyme, a splash of brandy or cognac if you have it (I used the last of a bottle of cheap brandy from the back of the cabinet). Bowls topped with a toasted baguette slice and the best Gruyere I could find at Jewel, broiled until bubbling.

Ryan ate it and said it was the best soup I had ever made, which is a high bar. Then he said he had a complaint, which was that I had not made it earlier in our relationship. I said I had to save something for years two through forty. He said we are going to be doing this for forty more years. I said yes, at least. He said good.

Patty called Monday with a wedding update: the guest list is at 85 and she thinks it should stay at 85 because of venue capacity and COVID protocols, and she has been diplomatically telling people they are on the "small ceremony" list. I asked what the small ceremony list is. She said it is the list she tells people who are not invited. I said that is the same as a not-invited list. She said it is not the same, it is a much nicer version of the same. This is Patty organizing a wedding. This is fine.

Halloween is coming and Ryan has decided we should carve pumpkins. He has not carved a pumpkin since he was twelve. I said okay, get the pumpkins. He got four pumpkins, which is three more than we need. We have a balcony. The logistics of four balcony pumpkins are unclear. The enthusiasm is correct.

Once you spend a whole afternoon watching onions melt down into something sweet and amber-colored, you start to see that technique everywhere — and you want to keep doing it. These rosemary potatoes came out of exactly that mood: the French onion soup was done, Ryan had already declared it the best thing I’d ever made, and I still had half a bag of Yukon Golds on the counter and a pan that smelled unbelievably good. Caramelized onions on roasted potatoes is not a complicated idea, but after a day of low, slow, patient cooking, it felt like the exactly right one.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Caramelize the onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes until deeply golden and soft. Stir in the balsamic vinegar in the last 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Preheat and prep. While the onions cook, preheat your oven to 425°F. Toss the potato chunks with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Roast the potatoes. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until crispy and golden on the outside and tender in the center.
Combine and serve. Transfer the roasted potatoes to a serving dish and spoon the caramelized onions over the top. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig if desired and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Rosemary Potatoes with Caramelized Onions — When You’re Already in a Low-and-Slow Kind of Mood