Caramelised Onion and Potato Stacks

I think many cooks (and cookbook lovers) would know of Donna Hay, the well-loved Aussie culinary icon.  (I'm hoping for her latest cookbook this Christmas, Mr P.!)  This recipe is from her Christmas cookbook Christmas Feasts and Treats.  I meant to make this side dish last Christmas, but there were other recipes calling my name.  Better late than never, my friends!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful festive season, however (and if) you celebrate!  This has been a challenging year for the Pickings family, and I feel that this has been the case for many.  So once again, I want to say thanks for being here, take care, and "see you" all in the New Year.  OMG: 2026!!  How is that even possible? :=)

smelling so delicious

Makes 8 (or more):

ingredients:

2 Tbs EV olive oil

4 brown onions, cut into 16 thick rounds

500g./1.1 lb starchy potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

160 mL/5.5 oz chicken or vegetable stock

80g./2.8 oz butter, melted

8 sprigs thyme

sea salt flakes, and freshly-ground black pepper

parsley or chives, for serving

brown onion

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F, to heat up

Grab a muffin tin, and line 8 of the holes with baking paper (or patty pan liners)    see Notes

Into your large (non-stick) frying pan, pour in the olive oil, and let it get nicely heated

And in go the onion slices, (in batches if need be); let 'em cook for 3 minutes or so, turning once, till golden  (let them cool for a few) then

Plop one onion slice into the bottom of each muffin hole

Divvy up the potato slices into the holes, and then throw on the rest of the onion slices into each muffin hole

Now the stock and butter gets divvied up into each hole, then you whack a thyme sprig on top of each one

Cover with aluminium foil, and roast away for 30 minutes

Now uncover and roast for another 30 minutes, till beautifully tender and golden

Plate them, and season well with the salt and pepper, and some parsley or chives if you like

Serve with a protein, or anything you fancy  (we had ours with a salad)

potatoes!

Notes:

Notes?  Notes?  Nah, no notes here :=)    Hang on, I do have a note (or 2) - I sprinkled some smoked sea salt flakes over the onion slices when frying them up!

I would strongly suggest using patty pan/muffin tin liners rather than baking paper.  Donna does not tell you how on earth you would manage to get baking paper into the holes, without it flying everywhere!!

And another:  try frying up the onion slices for a bit longer than 3 minutes per side - I did it for about 5 minutes before turning over, and frying for another 5!

I somehow ended up with a lot of onion and potato slices, so I ended up making 12 delightful stacks.  Well, you can't be sad about that, can you?

To be honest, this was a wee bit of faffing; but I reckon you could make these the day before (sans the melted butter and stock), let 'em sit in the fridge, then add the butter and stock, and bake till golden and scenting your kitchen with onion-y wafts.  And another thought - why melt the butter first?  Just throw on a big knob, on top of each one ...     

These are seriously delicious, my friends!  And no wonder, with all that oil and butter and salt ...  

and thyme

ingredients gathered  (am I Harry Potter? hehehehe)

fry up those onion slices in delicious EV olive oil

layer your onion and potato slices

throw on some thyme sprigs

ready for baking at 180C/350F for an hour

and ready for devouring

can't wait to eat this one!!

For those readers who asked about Mr P. - yes, he has had his preliminary procedure in hospital and is doing well.  Thanks for asking!

(Joining in with Jo from Brookford Kitchen Diaries, for the monthly link-up BKD Cookbook Club.  Happy Christmas to all!)

In My Kitchen - December

This seems to be the time of year for visiting the doctor, the dentist, the hairdresser and so on!  And it's racing towards you know what day:=)  I am speedily ordering gifts for people, and organising Christmas things.  Phew!  It's tiring and exciting, isn't it?  (Just had a crown done at the dentist; my new dentist is brilliant!)

A funny aside:  Mr P. was ordering a few Christmas gifts for me online, and the bank declined, and blocked his account.  So he spent a lot of time on the phone trying to sort it.  Hopefully, I will be getting some gifts from him this year!  

And we just had our fifth storm for the week - it was blue sky, sunshine and hail!!  More expected on the weekend.  Heaven knows what our actual summer will be like.

looking out our front porch window - sun and hail!!

thank goodness the hail was small, and it passed quickly

In My Kitchen:

could this be? - Another wooden spoon??  Yes!

more goodies from the Japanese mart

I made chocolate tarts for our Hist. Soc. meeting

and I bought the cutest little Harry Potter plate

more nibbles from the Asian shop

EV olive oil in this artwork bottle by Alice Oehr

cute little jug I picked up at the Kalbar Empire Revival shop

this massive tome weighs 2.25 kg!!  Free postage from the U.K. tho!

as per the suggestion from David at Spiced blog - all my spoons!

my curveball - a cute vase from our mate Nat @theAustinFlowers

Isn't this adorable?  Interesting that there has been a bit of a furore lately in the local art world; a couple of artists claiming that the other artist copied their work/ideas.  (Not Nat!)  It revolves around kitchen pantry items used in their art (tbh, this is and has always been a popular theme).  So we will see what happens, with the accusations and the possible lawsuits :=) 

c. Sherry M.

Be a part of our friendly IMK community by adding your post here too - everybody welcome!  We'd love to have you visit.  Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

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Kotopoulo Kapama AKA Greek Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Cinnamon

I have to confess I made this in our Autumn - in April!  Sure, it's hearty but so delicious, you can eat it all year round.  This is from The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos, a well-known Greek/Aussie cook and writer.  I've made many of her recipes over the years, but this one was a first for me.  I love chicken and I love cinnamon, (tomatoes not so much), but I can handle them in a dish like this.  

Tess calls this Kotopoulo Kapama - braised chicken, but I just call it Greek Chicken Stew!  She cooks it on the stovetop, but I decided it was much easier to give it a short simmer, then whack it into the oven till deliciously tender.  I also added more herbs and seasonings (and the red wine vinegar) than she decrees.  

tender, herby chicken with potatoes and veg.

Serves 6:

ingredients:

1 kg./2.2 lb chicken thighs   see Notes!

1-2 Tbs EV olive oil

1/2 Tbs butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

385g./14 oz (c. 3) fresh tomatoes   see Notes

30 mL/2 Tbs red wine vinegar

3 bay leaves

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1-2 tsp honey

1 Tbs tomato paste

125 mL/4 oz dry white wine  (aka 1/2 cup)

2 pieces of cinnamon bark

1/2 tsp sugar

sea salt, to taste - 1/2 tsp, more or less as you fancy

freshly ground black pepper

1/2-1 cup chicken stock, if you need/want more liquid (125 mL-250 mL) - I did!

fresh parsley (or other herb), for serving

tomatoes!

        yep!  Bay leaves

Method:

Heat up the EV olive oil and butter in a large frypan or saucepan, brown the chicken pieces all over, then remove onto a plate

Turn down the heat, add the onion and garlic, and fry gently till tender (keep an eye on the garlic, or add it a few minutes in)

Now add all the other ingredients, whack on the saucepan lid, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes  (20 mins. if planning to cook on the stovetop the whole time)

Then either return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, and simmer for another 45 minutes till tender (that word again - hehehe) OR spoon/pour the tomato-y sauce into a large baking dish (with a lid) and bake (lid on) in a 170C/340F oven for about 40 minutes - you've guessed it! - till tender :=)

Serve with veg. of your choice - I baked (or fried?) some potato slices, and steamed up some veg.

honey!

Notes:

Tess says to cut up a 2 kg chook/chicken, but I preferred to use skinless, boneless thighs, but you do as you please: use a whole, chopped chook, or thighs with skin and bones - up to you, my friends!

Okay, use 3 or so fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped - or throw them in the food processor - and zap away!  I sometimes just grate them, as the skin comes off easily   (No need to peel if zapping or grating!)

ingredients gathered

chop or zap those tomatoes

rest the browned chicken pieces till the sauce is ready for their return:=)

fry up the onion and garlic till tender!

throw in your tomatoes et al.

simmer your sauce

and add the chicken

into a lined baking dish @170C/340F for about 40 mins.

juicy!

add some veg. or maybe some rice or couscous (?)

Just for a funny aside, Mr P., myself and some other Committee members of our Historical Society gave a talk to 100 school children last weekend.  Wow, 8 year olds are so canny these days :=)  I talked about using phone directories as toilet paper back in the good old days!  They had never seen a phone book, to begin with ...  

I mentioned how one house we lived in had a toilet underneath the house, with a big gap at the top - where possums used to sit and watch us do our thing.  I didn't mention the feral chooks when we were children; you had to have a sibling guarding the door as you used the facilities (on the dunny can/toilet seat - hehehe) ; otherwise the mad chooks would rush in and peck (and claw) you!!

guess?  yep - a brown onion, of course :)

Strawberry and Lime Refresher

Summer is just over the horizon (only 2 weeks away till the official start for us Southern Hemisphere peeps.)  So a refreshing and fruity drink is just the thing - call it agua fresca or a spritz!  Storm season has started early, and we've been having huge storms with hail and horizontal rain and winds.  So summer storm season is looking dodgy to say the least - eek! :=)   

FYI, I'm a member of the Tweed Regional Art Gallery which is just over the border in New South Wales.  We usually head down there three or four times a year.  So on our most recent excursion in October, we had lunch at the adjoining café/restaurant - where we had their housemade sodas (as they call them).  I loved the strawberry version I had, and decided to make my own, basing it on the citrus cordial I usually make. 

my version - so pretty! and so pink!

their version at Apex Dining

Sherrys' Recipe:

Makes 1 big jug:

ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) simple sugar syrup, made with 1 scant cup of sugar and 1 cup water   see Notes

3 limes - zest and juice of 2 limes (= c. 50 mL/1.7 oz) and 1 lime for slicing - do the zesting then the juicing 'cos a floppy lime ain't easy to zest

c. 275g./10 oz fresh strawberries = 1 cup of pulp

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

750 mL/25 oz sparkling water/mineral water for serving

fresh strawberries and lime slices, for serving

freeze-dried strawberries for serving (optional)

strawberries

Method:

First make the sugar syrup by stirring the sugar into the water (in a small saucepan) 

Stir till dissolved, then let it simmer gently for 4-5 minutes, and allow to cool right down

Hull the strawbs and cut into big chunks

Then purée them in a food processor or blender, and push them thru a sieve a couple of times (maybe 3 times) to get rid of the seeds and funny bits :)

Now grab yourself a big jug (glass is good 'cos you can see the pretty)

Pour in the sugar syrup, add lime zest and juice, the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract

Give it a really good stir with a muddler or a long wooden spoon

And add the sparkling water, then throw in the lime slices and freeze-dried strawbs.

Give it all another really big stir, chill it for a bit, and then serve in icy glasses

Leave out the sparkling water and add in some vodka and/or champers for an adult twist!

lime

Notes:

Use whatever sugar you fancy - I used white caster sugar, but you can use any kind you have

Obvs. you can use whatever fruit you have - this would be equally good with other berries, or citrus slices or your fave fruit - even a veg. like rhubarb!

ingredients gathered

make up your sugar syrup and let it cool

zest and juice 2 limes  (don't you just love my Japanese knife?)

purée your fruit

ready for the sieving

push the purée thru a sieve a couple of times (or 3)

ready for mixing

I made a small jug-full to begin with

it looks so pretty too!

yes it's very refreshing indeed!

I put some of the base drink in the fridge for later - just add sparkling!