Fennel seems to pop up everywhere in the Springtime. It’s an easy to grow fluffy green plant with a slightly licorice taste in both the greenery and the white bulbs at the base. If the fennel plant is large, simply chop off a few bulbs at the base and leave the rest to continue growing.
I was fortunate enough to get some bulbs from a friend at her garden, but fennel bulbs are also available at your local grocery store.
After washing the bulbs, I chopped off the very bottom of the bulbs as they are harder and tough. I then thinly sliced the rest of the bulbs to roast with some baby potatoes. This is a great ‘make ahead’ salad that you can do earlier in the day, as it holds up great in the fridge and you can toss all the final ingredients together when you’re ready to serve.
You Will Need:
- 4-5 medium sized fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 pound of baby potatoes, washed and cut in half
- salt
- olive oil
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt
How to Prepare:
Turn oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the potatoes with a little olive oil and salt and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
Then toss fennel with olive oil and add to the potatoes on the cookie sheet and bake for another 15 minutes.
Let roasted vegetables cool.
Toss with 1 cup of frozen peas and set aside, covered in the fridge, until you are ready to finish the salad preparation.
When ready to serve, mix the salad dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Toss dressing with the potato fennel mixture and stir in about 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves.
Serve and enjoy!
