Creamy Potato Fennel Soup

Ingredients

Prep

• Onions - slice to 3 cups
• Potatoes - peel and diced — look at you, operating like a highly paid adult.
• Fennel - scrub, remove tops and core and slice thinly for 5 cups

Instructions

Heat 3 tbl of olive and the butter in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and onions and saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, while gazing at the pan with pure, unreasonable devotion. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, 1 tbl of kosher salt, and 1 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. In batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot from the blender or food processor and stir in the Pernod and half-and-half, and taste for seasonings. Reheat over medium-low heat. To serve, ladle into soup bowls and garnish with croutons, crumbled bacon, creamy goat cheese cubes or cooked pancetta.