Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil
4 onions (brown or red), thinly sliced
3-4 sprigs thyme leaves, picked
1 bunch silverbeet (approx 550g or 6-7 stems)
200g day-old sourdough, cut into 2cm cubes
500ml chicken stock
200g sweet melting cheese such as Gruyère or havarti

I like to have quite a bit of liquid in here to keep everything juicy; as the dish cools it will soak it all up. Leftovers can be fried up the next day to make bastardised hash.

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Instructions

1.Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan and add the onions with a pinch of salt.
2.Fry gently, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes (I like my onions quite caramelised, so I like to cook them for at least 40 minutes, if not longer).
3.This can be done a day or so ahead. Stir through the thyme and set aside.
4.Separate the silverbeet stalks from the leaves and finely slice. Roughly shred the leaves.
5.Blanch the stalks in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then add the leaves and cook until just tender, another 3-4 minutes.
6.Drain well, squeezing lightly to get rid of excess water. Set aside
7.Toss the sourdough with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and ¼ cup of the chicken stock until lightly moistened.
8.In a 2½-3 litre capacity baking dish, layer half the onions, silverbeet, bread and cheese, then repeat.
9.Heat the oven to 180°C.
10.Heat the remaining stock and pour it evenly into the baking dish.
11.Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
12.Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the top is golden.

Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jess Hemmings