Fennel is one of those herbs I cook with on a fairly regular basis. I toss the seeds into spice mixes or masalas where it helps build gorgeous flavor for curries, although it also loses its individual flair. But I was a stranger to the delicious fennel bulb with its frizzy, feathery, bright-green fronds until I moved here to the United States.
To anyone who has not eaten fennel, this is a flavor to die for. I especially like roasting fennel - both the seeds and the bulbs-- because that's when its deliciously licorice-y flavor mellows into rich sweetness. Heaven for the tastebuds.
Apart from its wonderful flavor, fennel is also prized for its digestive properties. In India, it is common practice to chew on fennel seeds after a heavy meal because not only does it help digest the food but it also freshens the breath. If you've been to an Indian restaurant here in the United States, you've seen those little dishes with fennel seeds right next to the toothpicks as you make your way out. Now you know why they're there.
Today, I wanted to share with you an easy recipe for Fennel-Crusted Potatoes, a go-to recipe for rushed weeknights when I want a quick side dish without the effort of standing over a skillet and stirring and mixing. I let the toaster oven do most of the work for me here.
Also be sure to check out my fennel pesto recipe made with fennel fronds!
More potato recipes you might like
- Peppery Mushroom-Potato Stir-Fry
- Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
- Minty Roasted Potatoes
- Garlicky Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes
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Recipe card
Fennel Crusted Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes (I use any kind I have on hand), cut into a ¾-inch dice
- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds , coarsely powdered
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a baking dish and toss together to coat all the potatoes.
- Bake in a 400-degree oven about 30-40 minutes or until nicely golden-brown and tender when pierced with a fork (stir halfway if desired).
Nutrition Information
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Cat
I just made the pasta with fennel pesto, replacing the whole-wheat pasta with spaghetti squash, and it was delicious! Very filling too! Thank you so much for these amazing recipes. I had never cooked with fennel before and I was a bit intimidated when I first got it in my produce box this week. I will definitely be making this again 🙂
Guru Karam
Today we had this without the pasta - added a big romanesco zucchini to the veggies, mixed with the pesto & served with the potatoes = fennel 3 ways! It was so yummy. Thanks so much for your blog and fab recipes - love them!! I put your link on my bookmark toolbar, so I can easily check in with you.
KALVA
potatoes look gorgeous!
Miri
Those potatoes looks golden and awesome - I usually parboil the potatoes before roasting them and they never come out so crispy. Must try this!
Vaishali
Richa, Thanks!
Jeanne, No, I had no idea that it grows wild in California. Thanks for sharing that-- makes me wish I could go fennel-foraging! 🙂
Michelle, Divya, Julia, Rajani, Samarpita: Thanks
Anna, that soup sounds absolutely delicious.
Averie, thank you for your kind words! And welcome 🙂
Rajee, Thanks!
Manasi, Thanks. And I used to run shy of nutritional yeast too, but it really makes a great cheese substitute and is great for you too because it's packed with the B vitamins.
Pubm's holding steady, but the news about her is overall not so great. Her tumor's really invasive and the doctors are asking us to be prepared for the worst. She's started chemo but there is only a 1 in 10 chance that it will work. I just wish there was something I could do to make my little girl's illness just go away!
Manasi
Love the fennel-y potatoes, kinda like a chaat!
orecchiette- orecchiette .. Easier tried than pronounced ! LOL.
looks gorgeous. I have never tried nutritional yeast, glad u mention the taste. To people like me, it helps from otherwise being shy of unknown items.
How is Pubm?
Rajee
Love them both, Vaishali. Potaotes looks very tempting 🙂
Averie
wow...amazing!
i just got done making a mango dessert recipe AND a roasted potato recipe. To be blogged about this week.
New to your blog and saw your mango cupcakes and now these potatoes.
Woman, YOU CAN COOK! I love finding blog where the person can really cook, not just open up a can of beans and call it "amazing"
🙂
anna
I love fennel, i make a delicious soup from fennel, vegetable broth and butter. simple and delicious.
Rajani
Do i like fennel,you bet.Potaotes and pasta look so yum,and can imagine the flavour burst with fennel and pepper,must try recipe.
Julia
Amazing! I have some fennel fronds in my fridge that I thought were just going to go to waste. Thanks for posting these!
Samarpita
I have never eaten fresh fennel. I really need to go hunting for fennel in SG. This looks tempting.
divya
looks awesome and delicious..
aztextpress
I grew fennel bulbs in my garden last year and ended up giving them away to friends... I had no idea what to do with them! Now I am looking forward to growing them again this year so that I can try this yummy looking recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing it!
~ Michelle ~
Richa
Fennel seeds in anything potato is my fave.. fennel works wonders for all crazy nausea as well! 🙂
I havent tried any other part of the plant, so the fennel pesto is now on my to try list!
Take care and have a great weekend!
Jeannie
Hmmm. Did you know that fennel grows wild as an invasive plant in California? My Italian auntie made us go on trips to collect it from the hills when she would come and visit us from Chicago. We still have a little fennel plant that she made us dig up and bring back tom the house.
Anyway...although fennel is non-native and crowds out some native plants, it is also an excellent host plant for native butterflies, who like to lay their eggs on it. So there's some good with the bad, unlike with other non-native species.
I can't wait to try these recipes!