The husband was a bit dubious when I told him were having roasted onions, tomatoes and new potatoes for dinner. I think he thought I was putting him on a weird weight-loss plan – something I’m prone to, from time to time – however, he couldn’t have been more wrong if he tried.

Having tired of my usual recipes I decided to revisit my ‘bible’ – Anna Jones’ a modern way to eat – for inspiration, and she came up trumps. The former Jamie Oliver apprentice describes her sweet and sticky tomato and onion bake as a ‘dinner in its own right’ and I decided to see whether it lived up to expectations.

In terms of ease, it couldn’t be simpler. It’s just a case of peeling a few small onions (which Anna helpfully suggests soaking in hot water before peeling the skins off by hand), new potatoes and cherry tomatoes in a roasting tin with a glug of olive oil and some fresh basil. You then pop it in the oven for an hour, giving it a gentle mix every 15 minutes, before adding a tin of drained cannellini beans and popping in the oven for another 15 minutes. And that’s it, a super sweet, toasty, roasty tin of deliciousness.

I served it with a rocket salad and some crusty bread, but what did the husband think?

The verdict from the husband: ‘I wasn’t convinced when you said we were having roasted onions, tomatoes and potatoes for tea – that’s a side dish, not a main. But, that was flippin’ lovely.’ He took leftovers to work for his lunch, so it must have been a hit.

Ingredients

• 500g baby onions
• 750g large cherry tomatoes
• 750g new potatoes, washed and halved
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1x 400g tin of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• small bunch fresh basil

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven gas mark 7.
2. Put the mini onions in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and peel the skins back. Half any large onions.
3. Throw the onions, potatoes and tomatoes into your largest roasting tin, season with salt and pepper and toss in a large glug of olive oil and roast in the oven for 1 hour, tossing every 15 minutes or so.
4. Once the bake has been in the oven for an hour, remove, add the cannellini beans and basil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
5. Serve on warmed plates and don’t miss a drop of the delicious juices.