Buttered Potatoes With Fennel Food

ROASTED POTATOES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Toss 1 pound halved fingerling potatoes with 1 sliced fennel bulb, 1 sliced white onion, 6 sliced garlic cloves, 8 sage leaves, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast at 425 degrees F until golden and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway through. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil.

POTATO-FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.
• Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.
• Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.
• Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

ROASTED POTATOES WITH FANCY BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the potatoes in the olive oil, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on two baking sheets. Place the sheets in the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Place the dried porcinis in a small bowl and fill with boiling water. Rehydrate the mushrooms for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid and chop the mushrooms.
• Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chopped mushrooms, parsley, thyme, lemon juice and zest, and mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the butter at room temperature for a later use.
• Lay out an 18-inch piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Spoon out the remaining butter along the bottom third of the plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch space on each end. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and roll it up into a log. Twist the ends to close and roll the tube holding the ends to make sure it's tightly wrapped. Place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the plastic and slice half the butter log into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place the butter rounds on a serving plate. Wrap the remaining half of the butter log in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the reserved room temperature butter mixture and toss to evenly coat the potatoes. Serve the potatoes with the extra butter rounds on the side.

BUTTERED POTATOES WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim off the stem and stalk ends of the fennel head. Cut the fennel into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Cut the strips into 1/2-inch lengths. There should be about two cups of fennel cubes. Set aside.
• Trim off the ends of the potatoes, both top and bottom. Cut the potatoes into quarters and drop the pieces into cold water.
• Combine the fennel and drained potatoes in a wide small skillet and add the water, salt and butter. Bring to a boil. Do not cover. Cook about 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the vegetables are tender.
• Pour the vegetables into a serving dish. Sprinkle them with dill and serve.

BUTTER POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel and dice potatoes, arrange in a pan or on a sheet of tin foil. Season with salt and pepper. Place butter on top.
• Put potatoes on grill or in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix around so they get all buttery and don't burn. Cook until potatoes are soft.

POTATO, LEEK AND FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Rinse and trim off stalks of fennel. Discard the hard outer covering. Slice off bottom of bulbs and remove the center core. Slice the bulb lengthwise into 1/4" slices.
• Remove outer covering from the leeks and trim off the dark green sections. Slice remaining into 1/4" slices.
• Sauté fennel and leek slices in butter over med-high heat about 5 minutes in a large skillet. Add 3/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp thyme cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Combine potato slices, flour and 1/2 tsp salt in zip-top bag and shake to coat. Arrange half of these slices in a well buttered 13"x9" baking dish.
• Mix whipping cream and milk. Pour half of this mixture over potatoes in pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of Gruyere cheese and 1 tsp of thyme. Spoon sautéed fennel/leeks over cheese and top with remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, 1 tsp thyme, and pepper.
• Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until browned. Let stand 10 minutes.

FENNEL & POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or cast-iron skillet over a medium heat and sauté the fennel with a little seasoning for about 10 mins until caramelised and sweet. Take off the heat and squeeze over a little lemon juice. In a jug, combine the garlic, cream, vermouth or sherry and semi-skimmed milk.
• Butter a medium-sized roasting tin or casserole dish. Put a layer of the potatoes on the bottom, followed by some of the fennel and a glug of the cream mixture. Season and continue to layer the potatoes, fennel, seasoning and cream mixture. Make sure the top layer of veg is coated in the mixture - press it down with a spatula if you need to - and top with the fennel fronds.
• Roast in the oven for 35-40 mins, or until the potatoes are tender.

FENNEL & LEMON BOULANGèRE POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel and slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, ideally using a mandoline. Peel the onions and cut through the middle lengthways, then slice finely lengthways.
• Layer the potatoes and onions in a circular pattern in a deep baking dish, about 30 x 20cm. Sprinkle the fennel seeds, lemon zest and a small pinch each of salt and pepper between the layers, until all the potatoes and onions have been used.
• Pour over the stock and lemon juice. Dot the butter all over the top, then cover the dish loosely with foil. Cook in the oven for 45 mins, then remove the foil and cook for another 20-25 mins. It's cooked when a knife goes easily through the middle. Rest for 10 mins before serving.