Peel the onions and blanch them in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

TIP: Save the onion water for soup stock.

When the onions are cool enough to handle, cut the top off of each onion. Set the lids aside.
Use a sharp paring knife to scoop out the insides of each onion. You should have no
more than 2 onion layers remaining.

Chop the scooped-out onion flesh into small pieces enough for 1.5 cups and set aside.

Discard the rest or save for repurposing into another dish.

Rinse the potatoes, peel them and boil in salted water for 12-15 minutes. You should be able to run a fork through them without them falling apart.
 Drain and let them cool completely.

Use a sharp knife to slice the potatoes into rounds.

Heat the speck in a large skillet. When the speck becomes crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion pieces to the pan, Stir to coat with the fat and sauté until browned, Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt the clarified butter in the pan then spread the potato slices out in the pan.

Cook until browned on one side, about 8 minutes.

Flip them over, add the speck, and fried onions back into the pan. Sprinkle the chives over the potatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Remove from heat. 

Set aside

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a large casserole dish with vegetable oil.

Fill the onion shells with the fried potatoes and place them in the oiled casserole dish.

Cover each onion with the reserved previous cut lids and brush with olive or canola oil.

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the onions are nice and brown.

Remove from the oven. Garnish with extra chopped chives, replace the lids and serve.