Roasting fennel deepens its flavor while bringing out a complex sweetness that is brightened with orange. It creates a buttery delight that has a slight crunch from almonds.
This dish pairs equally as well with light proteins such as fish and chicken or decadent ones like braised beef shank or lamb.
Roasted Fennel with Orange Ingredients
3 fennel (preferrably with the green tops)
¼ c olive oil
⅛ scant tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 orange
3 Tbl of toasted slivered almonds
Roasted Fennel with Orange Directions
Heat the oven to 475 degrees.
Take 1 fennel and lay it on its side. Slice off the bottom end. Cut off the stems near where it connects to the bulb so you have short nubs coming out of the bulb. Save about 2 Tbl of the fennel fronds (the green wispy pieces).
Stand the fennel upright and slice it into ⅓”-½” planks. You will have a few pieces that are like an onion layer but most of the planks will be connected at the base.
Repeat with the other 2 fennel. Pile the sliced fennel onto 1 baking sheet. Drizzle ¼ c of olive oil, ⅛ scant tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp of black pepper on top of the fennel. Use your hands to thoroughly coat the fennel.
Spread the fennel flat between two sheet pans so the fennel doesn’t crowd.
Place it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. You should see some deep color along the really thin edges and a little golden color on the top of some of the fennel. Keep an eye on it at the end of cooking because if you overcook it, it will get mushy.
Remove the fennel from the oven. Let it sit on the hot pan for 5 minutes to deepen the caramelization on the underside.
Zest 1 orange and sprinkle the zest over the fennel. Squeeze ½ of an orange and drizzle the juice over the fennel. Add 3 Tbl of almond slivers on top of the fennel.
Take about 2 Tbl of the fennel fronds and run a knife through them to slice the fronds in half. The size doesn’t matter much. You just don’t want them to be super long. Hold your hand high over the fennel and sprinkle the fronds over the fennel.
Serve hot or at room temperature. You can eat it chilled as well but will most likely need to add more salt.
Notes
I used Morton’s iodized table salt. If you use a coarser salt, you’ll need to increase the amount. Because you can’t taste the fennel until after it’s cooked, it’s best to err on the side of undersalting it and adding more after it cooks.
