FENNEL, POTATO & LEEK GRATIN BY TOM WALTON
With passion for health, fitness, lifestyle and wellbeing, Tom’s style of cooking goes beyond healthy eating, but also the way we eat and buy produce, by supporting and celebrating local growers, food producers and farmers.
Tom began his career in the kitchen at then 2 hatted regional restaurant Darley’s in the NSW Blue Mountains, before joining the team at 2 hatted restaurant Bistro Moncur in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, where he honed his French technique, leading the kitchen as head chef. In 2011 he opened The Bucket List in Bondi with his business partners and after 8 successful years he has since branched out with Deus Camperdown and most recently Nudefish Poke takeaway eateries, as well as starting his own snack brand Dux Nutts.
Follow Chef Tom Walton on Instagram or Facebook @cheftomwalton
Delicious, versatile & a nutritional powerhouse. If you’re not already cooking with fennel, you absolutely should be. The whole thing is edible - bulb, stalks & fonds - shaved raw, sautéed, roasted, pickled, braised, soups, pasta, with fish, seafood, or any meat. When slow cooked and served in this Fennel, Potato & Leek Gratin, It’s flavour is transformed and it becomes meaty, caramelised & sweet.
Ingredients
1 leek, washed well
2 large bulbs fennel
3 tbsp olive oil
3 clove garlic
Flake salt, fresh ground black pepper
2 medium desiree potatoes
300ml cream
2/3 cups course fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup grated gruyere cheese or cheddar
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
Preheat an oven to 200C.
Cut the fennel in half vertically then lay on its cut side slice into 5mm thick sliced.
Cut the leek in half down its length and then slice into 5mm slices.
Place a large frying pan over a medium/high heat add the oil, fennel leek, garlic with a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often until the fennel and leek begin to break down and the fennel caramelises a little, then remove from the heat and transfer to a baking dish.
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes 3mm thick. Add them to the fennel along with the cream and mix through well. Adjust the seasoning with salt and fresh ground black pepper then make sure everything is evenly distributed across the baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes then uncover the gratin, scatter with the breadcrumbs and cheese and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes to get a crust.
Serve scattered with parsley.
