So many delicious variations on a classic!! Sometimes, when I want something a little less rich, I will make mashed potatoes with olive oil and pureed cooked fennel. No real recipe, just something I learned by watching my mother do for years (by eye of course). Just cook your potatoes as you would for any mash, but in a separate pan simmer some quartered fennel bulbs until very tender, puree in a blender and as you mash the potatoes with some of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add the puree to taste, along with salt and pepper, while watching the consistency - you don't want it too loose. I often cook a bunch of fennel, puree it, portion it into 8 ounce containers and store in the freezer until I want it. The licorice or anise flavor is very subtle but works well in that dish, and I particularly like it with certain meat dishes that are strongly flavored like pork chops with pickled cherry peppers or some grilled meats - sausages, steak or chicken, or even fried cutlets. Of course with any dish that involves brown gravy like pot roast or stew, then I go for the traditional mash with butter and cream. Brown gravy just doesn't go as well with the fennel mash...
