The creamy onion garnish that no one has eaten in decades

Mashed potatoes and green beans weren't always the usual dinner side dishes. Creamed onions were once the preferred choice. Recipes for this dish date back to 1769, when cooks peeled large onions and cooked them with butter and cream to accompany poultry. Later versions gave it a béchamel-inspired twist, adding flour and milk to the sauce. Even Anthony Bourdain had a recipe for creamed pearl onions that included whole black peppercorns and a dried bay leaf.

When prepared with herbs like thyme or sage, or seasoned with nutmeg, creamed onions can become a subtly sweet dish, offering tender onions with a flavor quite different from raw ones. As the onions simmer in the sauce, their rich flavors develop. Of course, peeling pearl onions has never been an ideal task for the busy homemaker. Furthermore, the unappealing presentation of the finished dish didn't exactly help it stay on the table.

“Did the Grinch create this recipe? Who would think a side of onions without rings is delicious?” one Instagram user wrote. “It looks absolutely disgusting,” added another. It’s no surprise that creamed onion recipes have taken a backseat to the more colorful carrots and Brussels sprouts.

The beauty of this garnish is in the eye of the beholder.

While many diners may not have tried creamed onions, other cooks consider them a comforting dish and still traditionally prepare them for holiday meals. This rich recipe pairs easily with a variety of proteins. It can also be served with other vegetables, whose flavor is enhanced by the richness of the sauce, such as green beans, or with side dishes that are typically served with sauces, like stuffing and potatoes. A sprinkle of paprika is often added for the finishing touch. "They're so delicious!" exclaimed one cook on Instagram.

Updated versions may call for thickly sliced ​​sweet onions instead of pearl onions. Adding a cheese like Gorgonzola or Parmesan adds complexity with a subtle tang. Baking the onions or coating the dishes in breadcrumbs can create a gratin-like dish. In this case, the golden, caramelized top can be more appealing than a pile of creamy onions. Some cooks add color by incorporating tomato paste into the sauce, mimicking a vodka version. This recipe may never compete with more colorful side dishes, but it's far from forgotten.