Stuffed fennel with smoked salmon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g potatoes, floury
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• ½ bunch of dill
• 250 g smoked salmon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 5 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp horseradish (from the jar)
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 bulbs of fennel
• Fat for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Little surprise from the oven

Peel and halve the potatoes, then cook in salted water for about 20 minutes, just covered. Drain, press through a potato ricer while still hot into a bowl, and let cool. Wash and shake the dill dry, remove the tips from the stalks, and finely chop. Cut the salmon into strips. Melt the butter and mix with 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche, horseradish, and the chopped dill. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir the salmon strips—reserving a few for decoration—and the egg yolk into the potato mixture. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Trim, wash, and halve the fennel bulbs. Remove the inner leaves, cut into small cubes, and mix into the potato cream. Blanch the fennel boats in plenty of salted water for 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Grease a baking dish. Fill the fennel boats with the potato cream and place in the dish. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 20 minutes. Serve the stuffed fennel with the remaining crème fraîche and the salmon strips, and garnish with fennel greens or dill tips, if desired.