Fennel Potato Gratin Food

PARMESAN FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stalks from each fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise through the core. Remove most (but not all) of the core by cutting a V-shaped wedge, leaving the wedges intact. Cut each piece into 2, 3, or 4 wedges, depending on the size of the bulb. Arrange the wedges, cut side up, in a gratin dish just large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer. Pour the chicken stock and wine over the fennel, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Dot with the diced butter. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Remove from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the melted butter, panko, Parmesan, parsley, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle evenly on top and return to the oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Serve hot or warm.
• Note: The ingredient quantities were proportionally increased for this episode.

POTATO-FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter inside of a 10x15x2-inch (10 cup) baking dish.
• Remove stalks and core of fennel, slice thinly crosswise.
• Saute fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on Medium heat for about 15 minutes or until tender.
• Peel potatoes, slice thinly.
• Mix potatoes in a bowl with 2 cups cream and 2 cups Gruyere, salt, pepper and the sauteed onion/fennel mixture.
• Pour into baking dish, press down to smooth.
• Combine remaining 2 tbl cream and 1/2 cup Gruyere and sprinkle on top.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours until potatoes are very tender, the top is browned and bubbly.
• Let set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

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.

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 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.

FENNEL-POTATO AU GRATIN

Steps:

• In a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish, combine the potatoes and fennel; set aside. , In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add the broth, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over potato mixture; gently toss to coat. , Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

CHEDDAR FENNEL POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• In a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish, combine the potatoes and fennel; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Layered a casserole dish with 1/2 potatoes slices and 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese and repeat.
• Pour over mixture; gently toss to coat potatoes. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

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.

POTATO AND FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/2 cup; set aside. Discard any remaining fennel fronds. Arrange half of fennel slices in single layer in prepared baking dish; sprinkle with 1/4 cup fennel fronds, salt and pepper. Top with half of sliced potatoes in single layer. Arrange half of leek mixture over. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of grated Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering with remaining fennel slices, fennel fronds, potatoes, leek mixture and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle potato gratin generously with salt and pepper.
• Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in medium saucepan. Pour mixture over potato gratin. Bake uncovered until vegetables are very tender, liquid is almost absorbed and top is deep golden brown, about 1 hour 10 minutes. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Cover gratin with aluminum foil and rewarm in 375°F oven about 20 minutes.)

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.