Active Time

　　20 min

　　Total Time

　　40 min

　　Serve this side dish with any roasted meat, such as ham, turkey, or roast beef.

Ingredients

　　1 1/3 pound small (1 1/2-inch) onions

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter

　　1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　Cut off tip and root ends of onions. Peel, quarter, then separate onion layers. Cook onions in boiling salted water to cover in a 2-quart saucepan until tender, 15 to 20 minutes, and drain in a colander. Melt butter in saucepan over moderate heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add cream in a slow stream, whisking, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add onions, cloves, and salt and pepper to taste and gently simmer 5 minutes. Stir in parsley.

　　Cooks' note:

　　• The onion-cooking liquid is very flavorful, so save it to add to a soup or stew instead of stock or broth.