Fennel Potato Gratin With Gorgonzola Olives Food

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.

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.

POTATO AND FENNEL GRATIN WITH GORGONZOLA, OLIVES AND TOMATO-MARJORAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Rub inside of 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan with garlic clove. Rub pan with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Cover bottom with 1/4 of potatoes, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle 1/3 of chopped olives over, then 1/4 of cheese. Top with 1/3 of fennel; sprinkle with salt and pepper and 1/3 of marjoram. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Repeat layering two more times. Top with remaining potatoes, then half of remaining cheese; dot with re-maining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour milk over; arrange halved olives atop. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover pan with foil.
• Bake gratin until vegetables are almost tender, about 50 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and golden, about 25 minutes longer. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.) Let gratin stand 15 minutes. Serve with Tomato-Marjoram Sauce.

LIGHTER FENNEL & POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Quarter the fennel lengthways, and cut out and discard the root. Thinly slice the fennel. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, season the fennel and gently cook for about 5 mins until starting to soften.
• Drizzle a little oil over the base of a 1.5-litre gratin dish. Arrange half the potatoes over the base, then season. Spread the fennel over, then cover with the remaining potatoes. Pour over the stock, season and drizzle with the remaining oil. Scrunch a piece of baking parchment around the edge of the dish to make a seal, then bake for 1 hr. Can be made a few hours ahead up to this point.
• Remove the dish from the oven and put the tomatoes on top. Scatter over the Parmesan and return to the oven for 20 mins until the top is golden.

POTATO-GORGONZOLA GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook stirring constantly with a whisk for a couple of minutes, until bubbly and flour has a chance to cook a bit. Stir in the thyme. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk; cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly.
• Stir in the Gorgonzola; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Arrange one-fourth of potatoes in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; spoon 3/4 cup sauce over potatoes. Repeat layers twice; arrange remaining potatoes over sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Cover and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Remove from oven; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

GRATIN OF FENNEL AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Cut the roots off the fennel. Discard the tough, stringy or discolored outer leaves. Chop the feathery leaves and set them aside to use as a garnish. Slice the bulbs lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces and place them in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 3 cups of stock and the garlic, lemon juice and salt (if desired). Bring the broth to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the fennel slices and set them aside.
• Peel the potatoes and slice them into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Put them in the broth and, if necessary, add more stock or water if the broth has cooked down too far. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the potatoes just lose their crunch. Do not allow them to soften beyond this point. Lift the potatoes out of the pot and set them aside.
• Cook the broth over medium-high heat until it is reduced by a little more than half, to approximately 1 1/4 cups. Force the broth through a medium sieve into a bowl, using a spatula to push through the garlic cloves.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish or gratin dish with several spoonfuls of the strained broth. Make a layer of fennel and potatoes, arranging the slices so that fennel alternates with potato; use up all the fennel. Spoon on a little more broth and sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan cheese and some freshly ground black pepper. Put the remaining potato slices on top - they should overlap slightly.
• Lightly press the potatoes with the palm of your hand so that the layer is even. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, grind pepper on top and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes.
• While the gratin is baking, saute the bread crumbs in the butter until they are golden-brown. Five minutes before the gratin is done, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top with about a tablespoon of the chopped fennel leaves. Let the dish cool slightly before serving.

POTATO FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third of oven. Butter a 2-quart shallow flameproof gratin pan or baking dish (not glass.)
• Cut fronds from fennel and chop enough to measure 1 tablespoon. Set aside. Cut off and discard stalks. Quarter fennel lengthwise and cut very thinly with slicer into a large bowl.
• Peel potatoes and cut very thinly with slicer into bowl. Add butter with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat.
• Transfer vegetables to gratin dish, spreading them out in an even layer, and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake 30 minutes, then reduce oven to 350°F and continue to bake until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes more.
• Remove from oven and remove foil, then sprinkle gratin evenly with cheese.
• Preheat broiler and broil gratin 4 to 5 inches from heat just until cheese is lightly golden 4 to 5 minutes.
• Let gratin stand 5 minutes before serving.