Potato-Fennel Gratin
Ingredients
• 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.
Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise.
Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel.
Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.
Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline.
Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper.
Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.
Pour the potatoes into the baking dish.
Press down to smooth the potatoes.
Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly.
Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.
Try one of Amber & Son Pasture Raised Chickens for the following recipe – you can order directly from the website –www.amberandson.weebly.com . Amber delivers to Laguna Farm next Thursday afternoon, February 23rd and usually sends a few extra chickens.
Roast Chicken with Lemons and Fennel
Ingredients
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry (liver and giblets discarded)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 lemons, halved or quartered
2 to 3 fennel bulbs (2 1/2 pounds total), cored, stalks discarded, and cut into 1-inch wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.
Place a lemon half in cavity.
Using kitchen twine, tie legs together.
Add fennel and remaining lemons to sheet and toss with oil.
Roast until juices run clear when chicken is pierced between breast and leg, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165, 60 to 70 minutes, basting chicken with pan juices and tossing fennel halfway through.
Transfer chicken to a platter and cover loosely with foil; let rest 10 minutes.
Carve chicken.
Serve with fennel and lemons.

Lemon Garlic Rapini
Ingredients:
1 bunch rapini
1 TBsp Olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1 lemon
1 whole nutmeg for grating
Directions:
Heat a large pot of water to boiling.
Meanwhile, wash rapini and trim about 1 inch from the bottom of the stalks.
Cut rapini into 2-inch pieces. Prepare a large bowl with ice water and place next to large pot.
Cook rapini in boiling water for 2 minutes then remove and plunge immediately into ice bath to stop the cooking process. Wait 2 minutes then drain.
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rapini and saute for 5 minutes, tossing a few times.
Meanwhile, use a microplane to zest the entire lemon. Then cut lemon in half. Add lemon zest to rapini for final minute of cooking. Remove from heat. Toss with lemon juice from half the lemon and about 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Serve.