While we were in Michigan this summer we took a fishing charter on Lake Superior and came home with a mess of fish. You’ll hear about our fishing adventure on Wednesday’s post but today you will see the fruits of our labor. We love to serve fish with Potato Fennel Hash but it actually goes well with any meat.
Fennel, also sometimes called Anise (ah-nees), is a bulb vegetable similar to celery but with a mild licorice flavor. The fronds have a stronger flavor can be dried or used fresh anywhere you would use dill. The stalks can be diced and added to salad for a spicy crunch. The bulb adds a nice flavor to potatoes and bulks the dish up with half the calories and carbs.
Begin by heating the oven to 450º. Place a heavy pan in the oven with a little oil to preheat with the oven. Trim the stalks and fronds and save for another use. Slice the bulb in half and remove the core. Slice the bulb finely to match size of the shredded potatoes. The slicing side of a box grater works well.
Slice a sweet onion into thin slices also.
Add about a pound of grated potatoes and mix all together so that they are well combined. The onions and fennel should be roughly the same texture as the potatoes. We often use bagged grated potatoes for convenience.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add about one tablespoon of canola oil. Add about half of the potato mixture to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you want the moisture to evaporate away while the potatoes get brown and crunchy.
After a couple of minutes, stir the mixture to allow the potatoes to cook evenly.
Once they are mostly cooked through, put the mixture into the pan from the oven. The hash should sizzle when it hits the pan. Place the pan back in the oven and repeat the process with the rest of the potato mixture.
Once all of the potatoes are in the oven, allow to brown and continue cooking while you prepare the meat, stirring occasionally.
I pan-fried our fish this night. It’s lake trout in a buttermilk cornmeal breading with cajun seasoning. The tartar sauce is homemade too! What do you love to serve with your fish fry? Post ideas in the comments below!
Potato Fennel Hash
- 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium-sized russet potatoes, grated, with or without the peels
- 2 1/2 T canola oil, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 450º with a heavy pan with 1/2 T oil in the oven.
Thinly slice the fennel and onion and mix with the grated potatoes. All three ingredients should be roughly the same sized shred.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of oil and once hot, add half of potato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the moisture has evaporated and the fennel and onion are cooked through.
Transfer the hash to the hot pan in the oven and repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.
Allow the hash to brown in the oven, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of dinner.
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