Potato and Fennel Tian
A beautiful Provençal dish I can pop in the oven and forget about until the floral fragrance emerges from the fennel as it caramelizes and perfumes the air in my apartment. Finger snacking encouraged!
This Easter, I glazed a ham with apricot jam while my dad smoked a leg of lamb spiked with tufts of rosemary and slivers of garlic outside. Our table needed a single side dish to complement two stellar mains while still exciting enough for the special occasion.
I’m six months pregnant now, so simplicity is key - especially on weekends before a busy week of cooking for clients. Since glazing a ham requires my attention every 15 minutes, a side dish that I could prepare ahead of time was essential to enjoying the company of our guests. This tian cooks so low and slow that once I pop it in the oven, I often forget about it until the floral fragrance emerges from the fennel as it caramelizes and perfumes the air in my apartment.
When the potatoes are tender, the dish returns to the oven uncovered on higher heat until the tops are golden brown and resemble chips.
The results are extra crispy edges you can grab with your fingers, revealing a deeply savory tender potato beneath with melted fennel between every few layers of thinly sliced marinated potato.
I learned to make potato tian when I was on the line at King. The prep team prepared it in the morning, leading to irresistible snacking while it cooled on the counter before dinner service.
Often, I’ll prepare this several days in advance and allow it to completely cool before wrapping and storing it in the fridge for a day or so. That way, I can add the tian back to the oven to warm and crisp while I prepare meat or fish to accompany it.
Lately, I’ve been pairing this with beef tenderloin for my clients and garnishing it with another salsa verde and seasonal vegetables. A few weeks ago, I bought a plate of these potatoes for my mom and sister as they had just finished a bottle of wine. When it was cleared instantly, and they told me to bring down some more, I knew it would be a hit on our Easter table.
Ingredients
Marjoram Salmoriglio
Tons of marjoram, about 3 cups? cleaned and picked from the stem
About 3-4 cloves garlic, germ removed
Fleur de sel
Red Wine Vinegar, preferably Volpaia, if you are in Brooklyn Pascual has been kind enough to keep it consistently stocked at my local Tavola
Extra-virgin olive oil
Potato and Fennel Tian
Yukon gold potatoes, about 10-12
Fennel bulbs, about 4-5, stems and fronds removed, and quartered
Marjoram Salmoriglio
Fleur de sel
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Recipe
Marjoram Salmoriglio
Pound garlic to a paste with a mortar and pestle and a pinch of fleur de sel. Slowly add marjoram leaves and pound them into a paste. Splash Volpaia between each addition of marjoram to encourage the leaves to break down as you add more and work them into a dense herb paste.
Once all the leaves are broken down into a nice consistency, continuously stream in the olive oil until you have a sauce similar to a hefty salsa verde. Keeps for 3-7 days in the fridge.
Potato and Fennel Tian
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Slice potatoes and the fennel into a large bowl on a mandoline thin enough that they are pliable but still carry some weight and are opaque. This simple Japanese Beriner Mandoline is the workhorse of many restaurant kitchens and creates even slices.
Toss the potatoes and fennel in the salmoriglio until each slice is completely coated. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil and stack the potatoes upright, packing them as tightly as possible, ensuring a slice of fennel between every few layers of potato. Sprinkle fleur de sel on top, cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake until the potatoes are tender. Depending on the potatoes and how hot your oven runs, this could take anywhere from 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, or even longer in some cases.
Return the potatoes uncovered to a 400 F oven before enjoying until the tops are golden and crispy. Enjoy immediately or at room temperature.
Divine!