BRAISED ARTICHOKES, FENNEL AND NEW POTATOES

Cut the onion into feathers and fry in a casserole with a generous knob of butter and a pinch of salt until they start to caramelise slightly. In the meantime cut each potato in half lengthwise and add it to the casserole with another pinch of salt. Do not stir as this dish needs to cook in layers. To prevent the onions form burning pour a little of the hot stock and add a bit more butter.The French part of this dish is in the abundance of butter – obviously!

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oven to 180C. Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil and place in the oven to heat up.

Cut the fennel lengthwise, approximately 5 slice per bulb. Place the slices in the hot oil and season with Maldon salt. Roast for 20-30 minutes until soft in the middle but crispy on the outside.

Now let’s return to our potatoes. Keep checking and adding the stock and butter. Once the potatoes are part-cooked add a layers of artichokes on top and cook further until the flavours start to blend. Once the fennel is ready, add it in a layer to the casserole, top with a 4-5 rings on lemon and a very generous sprinkle of dill. I’d say you can go pretty wacky with your dill, as ’more is more’ when it comes to this herb!

Add a bit more stock and another sprinkle of salt, lower the heat and let simmer for 5-8 minutes. This dish looks so delightfully rustic that you’d want to serve it in the casserole.