Roast Red Onion Salad

Ingredients

• 900g red onions
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 chilli
• 85g bag watercress or baby spinach leaves
• 50 Lancashire cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp clear honey
• 2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar

For the croutons:

• 100g (roughly) ciabatta, cut into 1cm cubes
• olive oil
• (and water as needed)

Method

1. Heat oven to 220ºC (less if cooking a smaller quantity of onions).
2. Cut each onion into about eight wedges. Tip the onions into a roasting tin, with the cinnamon stick, and season with salt and pepper. Baste with the olive oil, vinegar, honey and chilli. Pour in 150ml water.
3. Roast, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the onions are very tender. If the liquid at the bottom threatens to boil away, pour some more water in, as this will make up part of the dressing.
4. About 10 minutes before the onions are ready, toss the cubes of bread with olive oil and spread out on a baking tray. Toast in the oven, with the onions, until golden-brown.
5. To serve: make a bed of watercress. Place the onions on top. Add 2 tbsp of water to the onion juices, stir to deglaze the pan and then add to the honey and balsamic vinegar. Spoon over the salad. Scatter the plates with the croutons and cheese.