Creamed Onions With Dill Sauce

Garden potatoes have been ready for some time, and they are still tasting like new potatoes. We often cook up a big pot and then have leftovers to slice and pan fry in butter. With new potatoes, there is no need to peel, just scrub the dirt off with a vegetable brush, and cook in a pot of boiling water. The skin of new potatoes is full of beneficial nutrients.

Our garden onions and dill are ready as well. To capture some of the fresh garden flavours I made a creamed onion sauce to go over some pan-fried new potatoes and it was delicious. I am sharing the recipe with you here.

Onions are a great source of the nutrient quercetin, and the good news is that cooked onions retain this beneficial nutrient, undamaged by the heat, and cooked onions are easier on the breath than raw onions. Quercetin is a flavonoid that may inhibit the growth of certain cancers. Quercetin has been shown to lower bad cholesterol al, raise good cholesterol and be protective of the cardiovascular system. Onions are a natural source of both quercetin and chromium, which both assist in blood sugar control. Onions and garlic contain sulfur compounds that work to detox our bodies by binding to heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium and then escorting them out of the body. The green onion tops are a source of vitamin A. With all of these great benefits, it is no wonder that some researchers are wondering if it is actually the onion, which is responsible for the French paradox, which allows the French to indulge in so many rich foods while remaining heart healthy.

This sauce starts with making a roux, (pronounced roo) which will be the base for thickening the dairy. Be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pot, and medium heat as both butter and dairy can burn easily. I used evaporated milk, but you could use milk or light cream as well. This sauce would also be good with pasta or poured hot over grated cheese and fries as a poutine. It can also be served as a side dish.

Creamed Onions with Dill (sauce)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter)

2 tablespoons flour

1 can of evaporated milk, plus water to

bring it up to 2 cups

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon butter for sauté

1/2 cup green onion tops

2 teaspoon fresh dill

In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and oil together over medium heat, and when hot, stir in the flour and cook stirring until it is slightly bubbly. Stir in the milk in 1/2 cup intervals, stirring and bring the mixture back up to hot and thick, before adding the next 1/2 cup of milk. Continue until all the milk has been added. Add the salt and pepper into the cream sauce. Meanwhile sauté the yellow onions in the butter, in a fry pan. Add the sautéed onions, green onions and dill into the cream sauce and stir and serve.