Fun with Fennel, Revisited

At Daisy Mae's Market, we contend that food is fun. We enjoy talking about food, learning about new varieties of fruits and vegetables, and experimenting with different recipes. A year or so ago, I wrote a post about fennel, and I got several comments from friends about the title of that post. Since then, my silly little "Fun with Fennel" phrase has been repeated more than a few times.
If you're unfamiliar with fennel, it is a hardy root vegetable that consists of a white or pale green bulb with stalks. Even though the stalk, leaves, and seeds are all edible, we tend to use the bulb most commonly. The bulb may be sauteed, stewed, braised, grilled, or even eaten raw.
Last week Mr. Daisy Mae stumbled on a new (fun) combination of ingredients that made a terrific side dish. He chopped the bulb of some fennel, a few carrots, and some fingerling potatoes and tossed them with olive oil. He then added a little salt and pepper and sprinkled with rosemary. After roasting for 25 minutes or so in a 350 oven, all the flavors had blended together beautifully. The fennel adds a very subtle, distinctive taste that takes the potatoes and carrots and makes them special. And the rosemary seems to tie it all together...and adds to the fun!