Holiday Sides: Artichoke, Fennel & Potato al Forno


This is a recipe from Jamie Oliver's book 5 Ingredients.

It has been in my Pinterest file since I got the book in the spring, and thought I would try it when the weather got cooler.

I love fennel, also known as anise. Not so much raw, but cooked, it is dreamy and creamy.

Of course I had to add garlic panko breadcrumbs and more cream and parmesan than the recipe called for.....I wanted to make it a holiday worthy.

It was.


Here's how:

2 large heads of fennel (anise), fronds and stems trimmed
800g baby potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large jar of artichoke hearts (marinated is fine)
1 1/4 c water

1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling
kosher salt and pepper
panko crumbs (optional, but makes the dish better!)

Slice the potatoes and fennel into even size pieces.

Toss with the artichokes in a baking dish.
If you are using marinated artichokes, then just use the oil in the jar. If you use a can or jar of artichoke hearts in water, then drizzle everything in the pan with olive oil, kosher salt & pepper.


Add the water around the ingredients and cover tightly with foil.
Bake at 400F for 1 hour.

Mix the heavy cream with the Parmesan cheese.

After the hour is up, carefully remove the foil and pour over the casserole. I made panko garlic breadcrumbs and sprinkled them on top with more grated cheese.

Bake another 20 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and brown.


Quite delicious!

Comments

Natalia said…
This looks like a great side dish - elegant & yummy. I love fennel, but too often can't find a good recipe for it.

Years ago, I had a delicious raw fennel and orange salad at a restaurant in Westfield. Tried to make it on my own but it never quite tasted the same. The fennel was too tough for my taste. Can't wait to try this on Christmas which we are hosting.
Stacey Snacks said…
Natalia,
I recently had a delicious fennel and blood orange salad....it had lime juice and good olive oil...salt and pepper. Very simple and refreshing.
I will try and recreate it......

Stacey
Trigirlpink said…
I can honestly say I’ve never used fresh fennel before. This looks so easy to toss together too. CUTE SHOES!
Unknown said…
I have fennel/potatoes but do not have artichoke hearts...however, I do have a jar of Joe's artichoke spread...so, I am going to see if I can make it by slicing potatoes/fennel (like U) and then mixing the jar of artichoke spread w/1c water and 1/4c Ooil, s/p, g/o powders. I will pour that on top/cover and cook according to recipe/then uncover and continue w/rest of ingredients according to your plan. I'll let U know if I made a bad showing by improvising
In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to all...ENJOY!!!
Stacey Snacks said…
Unknown,
You are VERY DARING! Just go out and buy a jar or can of artichokes! :0

TriGirlPink,
Thank you! you have good taste (Gucci loafers!).

Anonymous said…
Hi Stacey, made my concoction last night...I decreased the water to 3/4c and added 1 c cream, 1/2c Romano w/g/o p, s/p, 2T Ooil with the artichoke spread/'tossed' w/other ingredients covered/baked/uncovered topped with mix crumbs, 1T Ooil, 2T Romano baked to golden...we enjoyed...flavor was good However, for Xmas Day dinner I will follow your lead...yours is very elegant and makes a lovely presentation and is much more acceptable for company. As for Joe's spread...we love as a doctored up spread for pasta, dipping or w/cr cheese mixed w/s-p, Romano and toss w/cooked spinach or kale & baked w/crumb topping. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and your comments that I look forward to in all your posts. You are a very special lady.