Boston Lettuce With Roasted Red Onions

Mid-September. The light is turning. The cottonwood is in its last full-green week. The blackjacks are starting to brown. The morning fog is heavier and lasts longer. The deer are moving differently — the pre-rut behaviors. I cleaned my rifle Saturday. Same routine as every September.

Cohort week three. The new students are running their first arcs. Henry struck his first arc Wednesday. Clean. Nervous. He stood up after the first bead and his hands were shaking. The 58-year-old patted his shoulder. She said: that was a good first one. He said: it was straight. She said: it will not always be straight. Get used to that. He laughed. The cohort dynamic is forming.

Friday I drove to Tulsa for a memory project follow-up event — the cultural center had organized a panel discussion on tribal toolmaking, and Linda had asked me to be on it with two other practitioners and a curator from a museum in Tahlequah. I went. I did not say much on the panel — the curator did most of the talking — but I answered specific questions when asked. After the panel a woman came up and introduced herself as a documentary filmmaker. She wanted to interview me about the memory project for a film she was making about Cherokee crafts. I said: yes. We exchanged numbers. She would call to schedule.

Caleb and Miriam came Saturday. They brought a salad and a loaf of bread Miriam had baked in their new kitchen. The bread was a sourdough. Miriam had been working on her starter for two months. The bread was good. Hannah said: this is good. Miriam said: I am proud of it. Hannah said: be proud of it. We ate.

Miriam’s sourdough deserved something alongside it that wouldn’t compete — something clean and a little bitter, something that let the bread be what it was. Boston lettuce with roasted red onions is exactly that kind of salad: quiet, honest, and good enough to make you pay attention. It’s the one I keep coming back to when the meal is really about the people at the table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium red onions, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 heads Boston (Bibb) lettuce, leaves separated and torn
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

Roast the onions. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss red onion wedges with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until edges are caramelized and tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil until emulsified.
Arrange the salad. Spread Boston lettuce leaves across a wide serving platter or into a large bowl. Scatter the roasted red onion wedges over the top.
Dress and finish. Drizzle dressing evenly over the salad. Scatter chopped parsley over everything. Serve immediately, alongside good bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Boston Lettuce With Roasted Red Onions — The Bread Was Good, and So Was the Company