Potato and beet bake with saffron, fennel & sage

My mum used to make a potato dish called Potato Dauphinoise, a rich, luxurious dish with cream, garlic and sometimes cheese all layered together and baked until soft and creamy. It was a treat and usually confined to special occasions. I once made a version with both sweet potato and regular potatoes from a recipe in a Thanksgiving issue of Gourmet magazine. Cave aged Gruyere was used to help glue the layers together and create a cheesy sauce that was heaven, but only to be consumed in meagre portions. 

Tapas party part 1

In an ongoing effort to get rid of the excess food accumulating in my fridge and freezer and wanting to pay back a friend for a recent dinner, I decided to throw a sort of tapas / mezze meal. Finding such exotic delicacies as crayfish from Ikea and beet vodka smoked salmon lurking in the freezer, I fancied the evening would have a wonderful Spanish vibe with me feeling domestic and plentiful bearing plate after plate of amazing tastes to grateful hungry guests.