Onions usually play a supporting role, but in Tennessee onions they are the whole show. Big sweet onions are sliced into rings, laid in a greased baking dish, drizzled with melted butter and covered with cheddar and breadcrumbs. In the oven they soften and turn mellow while the top gets bubbly and golden.

Why sweet onions matter

The recipe calls for sweet onions on purpose. They have a gentler bite than yellow onions, so after baking they taste almost buttery rather than sharp. If regular yellow onions are all you can find, the dish still works, but the flavor will be stronger.

How I put it together

Slice the rings fairly evenly so they cook at the same pace.
Spread them across the whole dish instead of piling them in one corner.
Pour the butter over the onions before the cheese goes on, so it reaches the layer underneath.
Season on top of the breadcrumbs, and go easy on the salt since cheddar is already salty.

Bake until the cheese bubbles and the crumbs are golden brown, then serve it hot. It sits happily next to a roast, pork chops or anything off the grill, and it is one of the easiest ways I know to turn two onions and a few pantry staples into a real side dish.

The companion recipes to this one are collected in the salad and side round-up.