Butter-Glazed Onions with Thyme

From the garden

• 2 lb small onions, peeled, root ends left attached · pearl or boiling onions are traditional; big onions cut into wedges glaze just as well
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp parsley or chives, chopped (optional)

From the pantry

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp sugar · only a nudge; the onions supply most of the sweetness themselves
• 1 cup vegetable stock · chicken stock is the classic choice if the table is not meatless
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar · stirred in at the end to cut the sweetness
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Peel the onions the easy way: drop them into boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, trim the tips, and the skins slip off with a pinch. Leave the root ends attached so each onion holds together in the pan.
2. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and add the onions in a single layer with the sugar and a good pinch of salt. Cook 8–10 minutes, rolling them around every couple of minutes, until they pick up color on several sides.
3. Pour in the stock, tuck in the thyme sprigs, and bring to a bare simmer. Cover and cook 15–18 minutes, until a knife slides into an onion with no resistance.
4. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, and boil the liquid down 5–8 minutes, swirling the pan often, until it turns syrupy and clings to the onions in a shiny brown coat. Stay with it here; the glaze goes from perfect to scorched in under a minute.
5. Stir in the balsamic vinegar off the heat, pull out the thyme stems, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the herbs over and serve hot beside a roast, pork chops, or a whole roasted chicken.