It was Ina Garten who first introduced me to the fennel/potato
combination. It scared me at first because, well frankly, the thought of fennel
with potatoes sounded ghastly. But, when it comes to taste, a fennel bulb is nothing at all like fennel
seed. The bulb has a very mild flavor and, when included in any vegetable or potato combination, adds richness and a delicate sweetness that vastly enhances even the
simplest of dishes.
This is a very simple potato gratin. You can make it the day ahead, and bake it before you are ready to dine. It's a great dish for a buffet because you can double (or even triple) the recipe, and, after removal from the oven, it improves if the dish sets out for 10 minutes before serving. The recipe below serves 4, or as I like to tell people it serves from 1 to 6, depending upon the zealousness of your potato eater. Me? I could eat the whole bowl, that's how good this is, but I restrain myself so other people can enjoy it as well.
This is a very simple potato gratin. You can make it the day ahead, and bake it before you are ready to dine. It's a great dish for a buffet because you can double (or even triple) the recipe, and, after removal from the oven, it improves if the dish sets out for 10 minutes before serving. The recipe below serves 4, or as I like to tell people it serves from 1 to 6, depending upon the zealousness of your potato eater. Me? I could eat the whole bowl, that's how good this is, but I restrain myself so other people can enjoy it as well.
Potato Gratin with Gouda and Fennel
1 extremely large russet potato (1 pound,
sliced as thinly as you can manage it*)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
(I used Melissa’s)
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Gouda cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté onion with fennel until tender. While the vegetables are sautéing, toss the sliced potatoes with the half-and-half, 1 cup of cheese, and salt-and-pepper, in a medium bowl. When vegetables are tender, remove from heat, add to the potato mixture, and toss to coat. Turn out into a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Press down on potato mixture to be certain they are covered with the cream. Drizzle the top with heavy cream, and the 1/4 cup Gouda. Bake for one hour, until potatoes are tender. If the top starts to brown excessively, cover with foil. When potatoes are done, remove from oven and allow them to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
1 extremely large russet potato (1 pound,
sliced as thinly as you can manage it*)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
(I used Melissa’s)
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Gouda cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté onion with fennel until tender. While the vegetables are sautéing, toss the sliced potatoes with the half-and-half, 1 cup of cheese, and salt-and-pepper, in a medium bowl. When vegetables are tender, remove from heat, add to the potato mixture, and toss to coat. Turn out into a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Press down on potato mixture to be certain they are covered with the cream. Drizzle the top with heavy cream, and the 1/4 cup Gouda. Bake for one hour, until potatoes are tender. If the top starts to brown excessively, cover with foil. When potatoes are done, remove from oven and allow them to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
*Use a mandolin if you have one. If you don’t, you can get one here.
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