Monday, November 12, 2012

Crispy Creamy Fennel Gratin

Potato gratin is one of my favorite celebratory side dishes, but sometimes it's fun to switch it up (whether it's a holiday or not).  This gratin replaces the potatoes with thinly sliced fennel, which is a veggie I love and use all the time.  It's great raw in salads, and it's a great substitute for celery in pretty much everything if you're not a celery fan (like me).  This gratin is yet another use for this versatile vegetable.  Despite all the cream, the dish feels much lighter than a potato gratin, with tender slices of fennel in cream sauce covered with a blanket of Parmesan bread crumbs.  Serve this next to simple roasted meat or as part of a holiday side dish spread, and it's sure to add something special to your meal.



Crispy Creamy Fennel Gratin (adapted from Serious Eats, original recipe here)
Serves 4

2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced (I used a food processor)
1 cup heavy cream
2 T water
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped parsley
1 T olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with oil.
2. In a large skillet or pot, combine the fennel, cream, and water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Transfer to the casserole dish.
3. While the fennel-cream mixture is coming to a simmer, mix together the panko, Parmesan, parsley, and olive oil in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.  Sprinkle over the fennel
4. Place the dish on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the topping is golden and crisp, 30 minutes.

11 comments:

  1. Fennel is definitely growing on me, but big pieces still can be too much for me! This recipe does sound pretty delicious though...

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  2. I've never used it, always want to. This looks tasty.

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  3. OK, my brain translated this title as Krispy Kreme Fennel Gratin. Ha ha! This looks great!

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  4. I've never thought of fennel as a substitute for celery (my husband's crazy about celery) but so glad to know that it works. We love fennel. This looks totally delicious.

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  5. I will trust you that this gratin tastes delicious as I do not care for fennel.

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  6. I love fresh fennel and love gratins, so I'll definitely make this sometimes during the holidays. And I, too, never thought of fennel as a substitute for celery!

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  7. This looks like a delicious way to showcase fennel.

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  8. This looks delicious. I love fennel.

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  9. Today I had some stir-fried fennel with bell pepper for the lunch. Love fennel! Your gratin looks fantastic too.

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  10. What what!? Fennel gratin? GENIUS! Looks delicious. Totally bookmarked :)

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  11. I keep trying to get myself to really like fennel...it's a process. I think I could LOVE it in gratin form though!

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