Potato & Finocchio Casserole

Potatoes and fennel are both popular vegetables around our house, and this dish combines them well.

Potato & Fennel Casserole

2 lb potatoes,peeled & sliced thin
2-3 fennel bulbs, previously **roasted
4 TBLS olive oil
1 shallot, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 fresh sage leaves
2/3 cup white wine
salt & pepper to taste



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice potatoes. If you are not using *roasted fennel.. then trim and finely slice the fennel.

Coat a casserole baker with half the olive oil. Layer half the slices of potato in the bottom of dish and season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle over the potatoes, the onion and garlic and cover with roasted fennel or the sliced fennel pieces and season again lightly with salt & pepper. Tuck the fresh sage leaves into the vegetables. Finish with a neat layer of potato slices and season once more.
Pour the wine over all and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and almost crisp.

** To roast fennel (finocchio) just cut off the stems, quarter the fennel bulb and then into slices. Spread the sliced fennel on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake for 30 minutes - turning the fennel pieces every 10 minutes. Once carmelized, enjoy!Be sure to save some for the recipe :) I find this recipe more flavorful using the roasted fennel, and would serve this dish with pork or fish.