[header] How to mince a shallot [title] Lay the shallot on your cutting board. [step] Position your knife above the end of the shallot that has the small rootlets. [title] Cut a slit that is deep enough to almost but not quite cut off the end. 
[step] Leaving the end barely attached will make the shallot easier to peel. [title] Position the shallot so that the rootlet end is on top and the wide end is on bottom.