Creamed Pearl Onions

Ingredients

80 white pearl onions, unpeeled
2 oz. applewood-smoked bacon, cut into small dice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, grated
2 tbs. sherry
1/2 bunch chives, cut into 1/2-inch batons
Kosher salt

Instructions

In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch the pearl onions for about 3 minutes. Remove from the water, shock in a bowl of ice water, and drain. Peel onions, leaving a little of the root end intact.

In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, and drain on a paper towel. Leave 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan, and add the pearl onions, heavy cream, and nutmeg. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Cover the onions and cream with a cartouche (a circular piece of parchment paper with a 1-inch-diameter hole in the center that will fit on top of the saucepot).

Cook the pearl onions on medium heat until the cr