Ingredients

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

　　1 1/2 pounds fennel (4 or 5 bulbs)

　　1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion

　　1 tablespoon thyme leaves

　　2 fresh bay leaves, sliced

　　1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds or dill

　　1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

　　2/3 cup heavy cream

　　2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

　　

Step 2

Toast the fennel seeds in a small saucepan over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, until they release their aroma and are a light gold color. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the seeds coarsely.

　　

Step 3

Trim the root end of the fennel, cut the stalks off where they meet the bulb, and peel off any outer layers that are brown or bruised. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, leaving the core intact. Place the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board, and slice the fennel thinly lengthwise. You should have about 6 cups of sliced fennel.

　　

Step 4

Toss the fennel in a large bowl with the onion, thyme, bay leaves, fennel fronds, fennel seeds, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of pepper.

　　

Step 5

Slice the potatoes on a mandoline into 1/16-inch-thick slices. Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with the cream and 1 teaspoon salt.

　　

Step 6

Add the potatoes and parsley to the fennel, scraping all the cream into the bowl. Toss well to combine, and taste for seasoning.

　　

Step 7

Arrange one layer of potato slices in the pan, overlapping them slightly, on the bottom of a gratin dish. (For this recipe, I like to use a copper or black iron dish, so the potatoes get extra crisp.)

　　

Step 8

Toss the remaining fennel-potato mixture again, and arrange it over the layer of potatoes. Pour all the remaining creamy juices over the top. Bake about 45 minutes, until the potato is cooked and the fennel is golden and slightly crispy on top.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)