Six-Onion Roast with Goat Cheese Crema

Ingredients

• 10 ounce soft fresh goat cheese
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped lemon zest
• 1 cup toasted ground walnuts, divided
• 1 garlic bulb, top removed
• 2 red onions, quartered, root ends intact
• 2 bunches green onions, trimmed, leaving 3 inches of green ends
• 1/2 pound cipollini, peeled*
• 1/2 pound red pearl onions, peeled
• 2 sweet onions, quartered, root ends intact
• 3 leeks, white part only, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fine-grained sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts.
2. Toss together garlic and next 6 ingredients; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking pan. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes, stirring once. Dollop goat cheese mixture over onion mixture; bake 20 minutes or until onions are tender.
3. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Garnish, if desired.
4. * Cipollini are bittersweet bulbs of the grape hyacinth. They look and taste like small onions. Shallots may be substituted.