Barefoot Contessa- Potato Fennel Gratin

(Serves 10)

Photo: Melanie Acevedo

One of my favorite cooks is Ina on Barefoot Contessa. I love and admire her style of cooking and watch her show daily.

A few ideas from Ask Ms Recipe- I’d change the salt to 2 teaspoon  Black Truffle sea salt, change the cheese to Parmesan cheese, and  have a garden salad on the side.

And  Now for the Recipe:

2 small fennel bulbs

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the inside of a 10x15x2-inch (10 cup) baking dish.

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Sauté the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sautéed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

Recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten. You can find her website here