Potato and Fennel Gratin

Servings: 4-6

Cooking time: up to 2 hours

What you’ll need

Oven proof baking dish . 27 cm x 21cm x 6 cm deep or similar

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Fennel
• Approximately 1 kg Waxy Potatoes
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• Thyme
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Peel and slice the potatoes about 1/2 cm thick and dry well with a tea towel.
3. Trim and wash the fennel, cutting off the tough stalks, then cut in half and cut in slices from the stalk, to keep the slices intact.
4. Keep the green fronds for sprinkling over.
5. Finely slice the garlic.
6. Chop the thyme.
7. In a baking dish add a single layer of potatoes with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper.
8. Add a few slices of garlic and a sprinkle of the chopped thyme.
9. Add a layer of fennel and again a good drizzle of oil, salt & pepper.
10. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and a final layer of fennel, salt, pepper and the green fennel fronds chopped up. The dish should be full to the top.
11. Cover with a single layer of baking paper and a layer of foil.
12. Bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil & paper and bake for another 50 minutes uncovered until caramelised and cooked through. If need be, turn the oven up to caramelise the potatoes. If the fennel is getting too brown and the potatoes are not, just remove the top layer of fennel and cook until the potatoes are golden and charred and then add the fennel back on top.

Notes

Heats well the next day.