Creamed Onions

This is another staple at my Mom's family's dinner table - I must confess, I don't like these at all, probably because I don't care for cream sauces all that much.  BUT, they are a huge hit every year so I make them dutifully.   And because so many love them, I'm sharing them with you.

Ideally, you'd start with fresh pearl onions (about 6-7 per person), and carefully cut off both ends and peel them.   Then cook them in gently boiling water, which is lightly salted, for about 5 minutes.   But if you want to save time, you can buy them frozen and already peeled and cooked at Trader Joe's.   Just thaw them out and let them drain before mixing them with the cream sauce.

The sauce is a basic bechamel --

In a pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk into it 2 tablespoons of flour (this is called a roux).   Once that cooks for a couple of minutes (to get rid of the raw flour taste), whisk in whole milk (you could also use 2 % milk, but anything less is too thin).  You'll need to "eyeball" the milk -- do it slowly, making sure you break down all the lumps from the roux you made -- keep whisking until you've incorporated at least 2/3 cup of milk and let it simmer on medium/low heat.   Keep an eye on it because it can over-thicken in an instant.   As it's cooking, if it becomes more like a porridge or pureed potatoes, add in some more milk until it's the consistency you want.   Take it off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste, and a few grinds of fresh nutmeg -- not a lot though.  A little nutmeg goes a long way!

Then pour it over the onions (which should be warmed before the sauce is put on them) and serve.