Roast Potatoes with Fennel

Plain roast potatoes are wonderful. But the other night I thought I would dress them up a bit.

The main course was chard with chickpeas and feta, so I added more Mediterranean flavors to the meal by roasting the potatoes with fennel and then stirring in black olives and basil.

I buy fennel at the Hollywood Farmers Market. It's a small bulb with 2 feet of stalk and leaf fronds. Only the bulb is edible. And that needs to have the outer layer or two peeled off, and then the center core cut out. So one fennel bulb does not bring a lot of food. But even that small amount makes a huge flavor pop.

Roast Potatoes with Fennel
2 tbsp olive oil
10 oz potatoes
2 small fennel bulbs
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
6 kalamata olives
2 tbsp fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place on oiled baking sheet in a single layer.

Discard stems of fennel. Cut bulbs in half lengthwise and cut out the tough triangular core at the base of each half. Cut the bulb into 1/2 inch wide wedges. Arrange among the potatoes.

Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over top. Roast 30-40 minutes until they are golden and are tender when pierced with a knife.

Transfer to a serving bowl.

Pit and sliver the olives. Stir them into the potatoes. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle chopped basil over top.

Serves 2-3