Onions Filled With Hashed-browned Potatoes And Bacon

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 large onions
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 lb russet potato
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup water

Recipe

• 1 cut 1/2 inch from the stem end of each onion, leaving the root end intact, and with a melon-ball cutter scoop out the centers, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the centers and leaving 1/4-inch shells.
• 2 in a kettle of boiling salted water boil the onion shells gently for 5 minutes and let them drain, inverted, on paper towels.
• 3 chop fine the reserved onion.
• 4 in a heavy skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat until it is crisp, transfer it with tongs to paper towels to drain, and crumble it.
• 5 pour all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet, add the butter, and heat the mixture over moderately high heat until the foam subsides.
• 6 add the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice, the chopped onion, and the bell pepper and saute the vegetables, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and just tender.
• 7 remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley, the thyme, 3/4 cup of the cheddar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• 8 sprinkle the onion shells with salt and pepper, divide the potato mixture among them, and put the onions in a shallow 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-inch baking pan.
• 9 add 1 cup water to the pan and bake the onions in a preheated 350°f oven for 30 minutes.
• 10 top the onions with the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and bake them for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted.
• 11 serves 6 as a side dish or luncheon entrée.