Your Next Great Potato Dish: Fennel

People often don’t know what to do with fennel. It’s delicious raw and can be added to salads and salads, but with a little time in the oven, fennel will transform into a silky, delicious vegetable with a much milder, aniseed flavor than when eaten raw. And when you add cream, butter and cheese, fennel turns into a delicious, satisfying side dish that might make you skip the potatoes altogether. To top it all off, this fennel casserole recipe is topped with fresh, coarse breadcrumbs, which turn golden in the oven, creating a crisp, crunchy exterior that contrasts with the creamy casserole underneath. The best part is that the whole dish cooks quickly and spends most of its time in the oven.

Prepare the fennel and leeks.

Fennel tastes very different from cabbage, but grows very similarly. It has a core, and that core must disappear. If your fennel had stems and leaves, cut them off and use them elsewhere. (Many markets cut them off, selling just the onion.) Cut the onion in half, then cut out the core with a V-cut. Then place half, cut side down, on a cutting board and slice the fennel into thin ½-inch slices. You can also use a mandolin for this, but not on the finest setting. Layer the fennel slices in a baking dish. Try to place them as close to each other as possible.

Then cut off the greenest part of the leek, leaving the white and pale green part. Now cut the leeks in half and rinse well. Layers of leeks usually hide a lot of dirt. When clean, cut it into long pieces three to four inches long and ½ inch wide. Break up the leeks and place them on top of the fennel.

Prepare cream cheese sauce.

On the stove, place the butter, cream, cheese, and a little salt and pepper in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Make sure the cheese is melted and completely incorporated. Add broth (chicken or vegetable broth will work equally well, so feel free to choose whichever you prefer) and let the mixture come to a simmer, continuing to stir.

Once boiling, pour the mixture over the fennel and leeks. Cover the baking sheet with foil and place in the oven at 400°F on the middle rack for 30 minutes.

Make some breadcrumbs

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use store-bought breadcrumbs, but making your own will give the breadcrumbs a chunky, ragged texture that really enhances this dish. To make them yourself, take stale bread, whether it’s a baguette or a loaf, break it into smaller pieces with your hands, and place it in a food processor. Do not allow the processor to pulse to prevent it from producing uniform dust. Place the crumbs in a bowl, toss with a little olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

On top of the casserole

After 30 minutes, remove the foil from the casserole and carefully spread the breadcrumbs on top, as evenly as possible. Return the casserole to the oven for 10 minutes, but leave it on and check for browning on top. Depending on your individual oven, this step may take less time, so keep an eye on it so the top doesn’t burn.

Fennel gratin recipe with crispy breadcrumbs

Ingredients

• 3 fennel bulbs

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 leek

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup grated parmesan

• 1 cup breadcrumbs or stale bread

1. Core the fennel and then cut it into ½-inch thick slices. Place the slices in a baking dish as tightly as possible.

2. Wash the leeks, then cut them into long strips measuring three to four inches by ½ inch and place on top of the fennel.

3. Combine cream, butter, cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix with a whisk until smooth. Add broth, stir and bring to a boil.

4. Pour the mixture over the fennel and leeks. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.

5. While baking, prepare breadcrumbs by grinding stale bread in a food processor. Pulse the processor to produce crumbs that are the wrong size.

6. Toss breadcrumbs with olive oil and remaining salt and pepper.

7. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the casserole evenly with breadcrumbs. Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes, but check every minute or two for browning. Once the breadcrumbs are golden brown, remove the casserole from the oven.

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