TIAN OF POTATOES WITH FENNEL SEEDS AND BAY LEAVES
We have had a visitor here, an old friend who reads Lucullian and actually uses my recipes, that’s a true friend I think! Anyway, I didn’t cook that much but we talked a lot, did a bit of shopping and enjoyed ourselves in general. Too much maybe because right now I feel a certain reluctance to food blogging, a general laziness but I better step out of that and move onwards so here we have a tian of potatoes. Tian is a French Provencal word that indicates a dish with gratinated vegetables and I can’t really find an Italian word for that. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is one but it has slipped me by without leaving an impression. So I use the word tian. Here I use only potatoes but as a compensation I flavour these with a mix of fennel seeds and bay leaves. This is such an easy thing to make that I only give you exact measures for the herb mix. Which you can use for many other things as well.
TIAN OF POTATOES WITH FENNEL SEEDS AND BAY LEAVES
2 tblsp fennel seeds
5-6 bay leaves
potatoes
water or stock
breadcrumbs
parmesan, grated
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
- Run fennel seeds and bay leaves in a mixer/blender (what is it really called? Or is it a question of AmE and BrE?) until they have become a powder.
- Peel the potatos and slice them very thinly.
- Mix the fennel and bay leaf powder with salt and olive oil. Add to the potato slices and stir well, the slices must be covered with oil and herbs.
- Pack the slices closely together in an oven-proof dish like in the photo. Add a little water or stock, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle crumbs and parmesan over the potatoes.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven (175°C/350°F), the first 20 minutes covered with aluminium foil and then without for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden and crunchy.
