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Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel, is a simple yet delicious vegetarian dish combining two of my favorite vegetables and also makes an excellent side dish to any main meal.

Fennel is a super crisp vegetable that can be eaten raw as is or sliced thinly and tossed in a salad such as this refreshing Fennel and Pomegranate Salad. I actually love to snack on this slightly sweet vegetable with it’s subtle licorice flavor. In texture it is much like celery but way more tasty.

All parts of the fennel are edible. From the bulb, the stalks and the fronds which are mostly used as an herb seasoning or garnish.

But did you know that fennel is just as delicious when cooked? When cooked, fennel turns soft and sweeter.

The sweetness of this vegetable pairs beautifully in a spicy tomato sauce, much like my Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce.

However, lately I’ve been loving it roasted alongside the ever so humble potato with a simple drizzle of olive oil, seasoned with fresh rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. You’ll find these Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel to be quite easy to put together and hardly requires any fuss at all.

Every time I combine and cook two vegetables this way, I find it easier to fill half my plate with nutrient-dense foods and at the same time reduce calorie intake!

Also, If you are looking to reduce starchy foods in your diet but adore potatoes like I do, combining them with a non starchy vegetable is a great way of doing so.

I love to use my wavy crinkled cutter when slicing potatoes as the ridges cradle all those delicious flavors. But you can really slice them any way you want. Just make sure that both the potatoes and fennel are sliced fairly equal in size. This ensures that they cook evenly.

You will want to use the largest sheet pan that you have and spread the vegetables out in one single layer. This way both the potatoes and fennel will brown beautifully and crisp up around the edges.

I used an 18 x 12 x 1 inch baking sheet, which is fairly big, any yet a few of the vegetables overlapped just slightly.

These Roasted Potatoes and Fennel pair perfectly as a side dish with any red meat, poultry or fish but exceptionally well with salmon!

 Buon Appetito!

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Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel. A simple, delicious vegetarian dish combining two favorite vegetables and makes an excellent side dish to any main meal.

Course Vegetarian

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Author Marisa

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 fennel bulb sliced into 1/2 inch wedges (see note)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. (I used an 18x12x1 sheet pan)
3. Place the sliced potatoes and sliced fennel in a large bowl.
4. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to the vegetables.
5. Toss to combine and then spread them out in one single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
6. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
7. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or just until they are tender and are a rich golden brown.
8. Serve while still warm.
9. NOTE
10. Slicing fennel is really quite simple. First start by cutting off the stalks from the bulb (you can reserve the stalks for making soup).
11. Cut the fennel vertically in half and leave the hard core attached, then slice into 1/2 inch wedges.
12. Leaving the hard core attached will insure the wedges stay intact.