What isn't there to like about a potato bake? In my view you can only make it better. The French way with cream or au-gratin is delicious but more recently I have discovered the Puglian way which uses olive oil and breadcrumbs instead of cream or milk.
Often the potato is layered with artichokes or fennel. I had kohlrabi and fennel in this week's veggie box along with a bag of knobbly organic dutch cream potatoes.
The combination of the subtle aniseedy fennel, the sweet brassica taste of kohlrabi and the nutty potatoes worked a treat when they were all warm, soft and oily.
Ingredients
4-5 medium potatoes
2 kohlrabi
2 small heads of fennel
Lots of olive oil
100g of toasted breadcrumbs
100g grated Parmesan or pecarino cheese
small bunch of finely chopped parsley
white pepper
salt
water
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Mix together the breadcrumbs, the cheese, parsley, white pepper and salt in a bowl.
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, kohlrabi and the fennel so that all the sliced vegetables are same thickness.
Pour a good amount of olive oil on the bottom of a flat over-proof dish, then cover the bottom with a layer of potatoes followed by a layer of fennel.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil, then cover with a thin layer of the breadcrumb mixture.
Next, make a layer of the sliced kohlrabi, drizzle with oil and another layer of the breadcrumb mixture.
Finish with a layer of potatoes covered with the breadcrumb mixture.
Drizzle oil on the top.
Pour in water until it reaches nearly to the top of the vegetables.
Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the water has mixed with the breadcrumbs making a starchy sauce.
Leave to rest slightly before eating.
This dish is good for left-overs both cold and warmed.
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