I make Ina Garten's potato-fennel gratin every Christmas.
I first made it when I barely knew how to cook, and the easy recipe was 100% foolproof.
The dish is cheesy and comforting and pairs perfectly with any holiday side dish.
There's one "Barefoot Contessa" recipe I make for my family every Christmas, and I think it deserves a spot on everyone's holiday menu.
I originally found Ina Garten's recipe for potato-fennel gratin on the Barefoot Contessa website, but it also appears in her first cookbook, "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook."
"I love to make potato gratin and fennel gratin, so I decided to combine the two," Garten writes in the description. "If you make this in an old French gratin dish, it looks wonderful and can go from the oven to the table with style."
I started making Garten's potato-fennel gratin when I had almost zero cooking skills, so I can attest that it's 100% foolproof. More importantly, it's incredibly comforting — and goes well with nearly everything.
Here's how to make it.
Ina Garten's potato-fennel gratin requires just five main ingredients.
To make Garten's gratin for four, you'll need:
1 pound russet potatoes (2 large ones)
1 small fennel bulb
½ yellow onion
1½ cups Gruyère cheese
1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
The first step is properly cutting the fennel.
I will admit that the first time I made this dish, I had to watch a Martha Stewart YouTube video on how to cut fennel.
But if you're an amateur, there's no need to let this herb intimidate you.
First, cut off the stalks as close to the bulb as possible. Then, cut the bulb in half lengthwise.
Remove the cores at the bottom. For Garten's recipe, you'll then thinly slice the bulb halves crosswise — which should make about two cups of fennel.
Pro tip: Don't throw out your stalks and fronds! Stewart recommends using the fronds in salads and saving the stalk to flavor stockpot dishes.
Once that's out of the way, get your onion ready.
You should thinly slice your yellow onion for this dish.
Peel your potatoes, then slice them crosswise.
Garten recommends thinly slicing them by hand or with a mandoline.
You'll also need to grate your Gruyère cheese.
Preparing Garten's gratin takes under 10 minutes, which is great when you're juggling multiple dishes for a holiday feast.
And don't forget to butter your baking dish!
If you're making the gratin for four, Garten recommends using a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish.
Once you're done with your prep, sauté your fennel and onions together.
Per Garten's recipe, you'll want to add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ tablespoon of unsalted butter to a pan.
Then, sauté the fennel and onions on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until they're tender.
While your stove is working away, add your potatoes to a large bowl with the heavy cream.
You'll use 1 ½ cups of heavy cream for this step.
Then, add 1 cup of the Gruyère cheese, as well as salt and pepper.
Garten recommends adding ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper to the mix.
I really love pepper, so, as you can see, I may have added a touch more.
Next, add your sautéed fennel and onions on top.
It's almost time to bake!
To build the gratin, start by pouring your potato mixture into the baking dish.
Gently press down to smooth the potatoes out.
Then, mix the rest of your heavy cream and cheese together and sprinkle on top.
Remember, you'll want to use 1 tablespoon of cream and ½ cup of Gruyère for this quick step.
After an hour in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, your gratin will be beautifully browned and bubbly — and almost ready to eat.
Garten recommends letting the gratin sit for 10 minutes before serving it hot.
She also notes that the gratin can be cooked a day ahead and reheated at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, a helpful tip if you want to save some time during the holidays.
Garten's potato-fennel gratin doesn't just look delicious — it tastes incredible, too.
Few things in this world are more comforting than potatoes mixed with heavy cream and cheese. Garten's gratin is creamy and satisfying, thanks to the Gruyère, and the potatoes are perfectly cooked. Since the fennel is sautéed, its flavor is mild and sweet rather than overpowering.
But one of the best things about the gratin is how well it goes with everything, making it a great sidekick for any meat or holiday side dish.
I think the potato-fennel gratin is a perfect side for any holiday spread.
It's so simple to make that you could easily delegate the task to a young budding chef in your family or at least let the kids help you with it in the kitchen. Plus, the gratin is easy to make ahead and reheat before dinner, giving you some much-needed space in the oven for a big holiday menu.
And you can't go wrong with creamy potatoes and cheese, especially during the winter season.
I paid $1,500 for a three-night stay at a wellness resort called Palmaïa, The House of AïA.
My king suite with an ocean view was super comfortable and I loved the 24-hour room service.
I left the resort feeling better than I did when I arrived, so I'd say it was worth the money.
For me, traveling is the ultimate act of self-care. So, when I came across a wellness resort called Palmaïa, The House of AïA, on Hotels.com's Perfect Somewheres list — which highlights some of the top 1% of hotels on the company's app — I booked a trip.
I'd seen some of my favorite influencers raving about their stays at the all-inclusive resort located in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, so I had high hopes for my trip to the wellness spot.
As a Hotels.com Platinum One Key member, I got a 36% discount when I booked my trip and paid about $1,500 for a three-night stay.
Here's what my experience was like.
The accommodations were more than comfortable.
During my trip, I stayed in a king suite with an ocean view.
I don't tend to sleep well while traveling, but at Palmaïa, I had no trouble getting seven to eight hours of shuteye. The king-size mattress was perfectly firm, and my room always felt cool.
The high ceilings, chic sitting area, exposed-brick wall, and enormous bathroom with plenty of counter space didn't hurt, either.
I loved the 24-hour room service and took full advantage of it.
When I arrived at the hotel around midnight, I was excited to learn the resort offered 24-hour room service.
Upon checking in, the receptionist took my order, and a piping-hot dish of black-bean enfrijoladas (a type of enchiladas served with a black-bean sauce) arrived just moments after I was escorted to my room.
Around-the-clock room service also came in handy when I was craving a snack or didn't have time to sit down for breakfast.
The resort's nomadic guide added a personalized touch to my experience.
During my stay, I was assigned a nomadic guide — a staff member who acts as a personal concierge. Each morning, my guide messaged me with updates about the day's scheduled activities and dinner reservations.
They even escorted me from my room to a class when I didn't know how to get there, replaced my room key when I lost mine, and arranged for a staff member to take me to a convenience store for medicine when I developed a sun rash.
There were tons of food options and nonalcoholic beverages to choose from.
The resort has four main restaurants, all of which I enjoyed dining at. Many of the creative takes on traditional Mexican dishes were flavorful and nutrient-rich — think waffles infused with matcha and plant-based poke bowls with marinated watermelon "tuna."
Palmaïa offered lots of vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free items. However, as someone who doesn't have any dietary restrictions, I appreciated that I had the option to add barbacoa to my tacos or real Parmesan to my salads.
I also loved that Palmaïa had unique nonalcoholic drinks with the option to add liquor. The restaurants offered wine and cocktails, but alcohol didn't seem to be a central part of the resort's social environment.
The activities were super unique.
All-inclusive resorts typically offer access to fun activities, but Palmaïa's daily itineraries were truly one-of-a-kind.
I participated in a few activities — including a mindfulness-focused drawing session and a primal-movement class — but my favorite experience was an outdoor cacao ceremony.
This session, inspired by Mayan tradition, involved setting intentions and drinking a ceremonial cacao beverage while listening to live music.
Getting around the grounds was a breeze.
I've been to resorts that are so sprawling it takes 15 minutes or longer to walk from my room to a restaurant. Luckily, this wasn't the case at Palmaïa — the grounds were super walkable.
Even better, Palmaïa offered complimentary bicycles for guests to use around the property. I used them when I was rushing to scheduled activities or just wanted to feel the breeze on my face.
I never had to fight for a beach or poolside chair.
There were a few infinity, adults-only, and kid-friendly pools in front of the guest-room buildings. The long stretch of beach in front of the resort also had ample cabanas and lounge chairs.
There were even some cenotes — large natural pools — in a jungle area on the property.
The trip was a tad expensive — but I'd go back in a heartbeat.
This trip may have been a splurge, but it was well worth the $1,500. In the past, I've often found myself coming home from all-inclusive getaways feeling worse than when I arrived — maybe due to all the food, alcohol, and sedentary time on the beach.
However, between the engaging activities, the nutrient-dense meals, and the attentive staff catering to my every need, Palmaïa left me feeling refreshed, renewed, and invigorated — and (almost) ready to return to real life.
American Airlines will launch new longer-haul routes from LaGuardia. They'll only fly once weekly.
LaGuardia's new routes are doable thanks to the "perimeter rule" being waived on Saturdays.
American and other airlines also use perimeter rule exemptions in Washington, DC.
American Airlines will use a special rule exception to fly longer-than-normal routes out of New York's LaGuardia Airport next year.
An airline spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider on Monday that American will launch new flights to Bozeman and Kalispell in Montana and Calgary in Canada in June 2025 to target leisure travelers.
There is one caveat: The routes will only operate on Saturdays.
This is because, to manage airport capacity, LaGuardia allows flights of only 1,500 miles or fewer from Sunday through Friday. This is known as a "perimeter rule." Longer flights and bigger jets are primarily pushed to the nearby Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy airports.
However, the rule is waived for flights to Denver at all times and for flights operated to all other places on Saturdays. The latter exception gave American the leeway it needed to fly the new Saturday routes to Montana and Canada.
LaGurdia's slot restriction is also waived on Saturdays, meaning American won't need special takeoff and landing permissions for the routes. Cirium data shows all three flights will use a Boeing 737 Max and trek about 2,000 miles.
Operating Saturday-only flights to avoid the perimeter rule at LaGuardia is not new, though airlines have struggled to fill planes because Saturdays are lower-demand days.
Delta Air Lines, for example, cut two Saturday cross-country flights from LaGuardia to Los Angeles and Phoenix in January.
American also uses perimeter exemptions in the US capital
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC, is the only other US airport with a mandated perimeter rule. The restrictions at both airports were established in the 1980s.
Reagan's routes are limited to 1,250 miles. Dulles International Airport, about 30 miles away, gets longer flights.
However, over the past two decades, Congress has increased daily slot allowances to allow for more flights beyond the perimeter on Sunday through Friday.
American and other airlines have taken advantage of the exemptions. Cirium shows American already flies daily to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines also use exemptions to fly daily from Reagan to cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Denver, and Seattle.
American was awarded one of the slots on Friday, a daily roundtrip to San Antonio starting in March. It will be the only airline operating the flight.
Meanwhile, Delta was awarded a slot pair to Seattle, Alaska was given one to San Diego, Southwest will use one to serve Las Vegas, and United received approval to San Francisco — which will be the airline's second daily flight to the California city.
Some advocates say it reduces noise and airport congestion and ensures airlines don't shift slots to abandon regional routes within the perimeter. A near-miss at Reagan in May also sparked concern that more flights could impact runway safety.
Opponents of the rule say it restricts airline networks, gives travelers less choice, raises airfares, and limits economic growth. For lawmakers, eliminating the rule at Reagan would mean more convenient flights into DC from their home states.
Taylor Swift famously sang, "You know I love the players, and you love the game." But when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, it looks like she loves them both.
The megastar is back in action for her second NFL season, supporting Kelce and the Chiefs in their first three home games against the Ravens, Bengals, and Saints.
We rounded up the best photos of Swift from each appearance so far.
Swift attended her first game at Arrowhead Stadium in September 2023.
"This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she told Time. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I'm grateful for, because we got to get to know each other."
"By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple," Swift continued. "I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
For her second appearance, she brought her longtime pal Blake Lively.
Swift and Lively watched the Chiefs defeat the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — where Swift had performed three sold-out concerts just a few months prior.
The October game drew the highest viewership for a Sunday TV show since the Super Bowl, NBC Sports reported.
"I think it's fun when they show who all is at the game. I think it brings a little more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you're watching," Kelce said during an episode of his "New Heights" podcast.
"But at the same time, I think they're overdoing it a little bit," Kelce continued. "For sure, especially for my situation. I think they're just trying to have fun with it."
Swift has struck up a close friendship with Brittany Mahomes, who's married to Kelce's teammate.
Just a few days before the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)," the rerecorded version of her fifth album, Swift watched the Chiefs take down the Los Angeles Chargers.
Swift wore a black turtleneck and a red teddy coat in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Swift spent most of November 2023 on the road for the South American leg of The Eras Tour. Kelce even flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to watch Swift perform — and received an onstage shout-out in return.
She returned to Kelce's side in early December when the Chiefs took on the Green Bay Packers. It was her first time watching Kelce's team lose.
She wore a vintage Chiefs sweatshirt for the team's next home game.
The store's owner, Chris Harrington, told Business Insider he originally thought Swift's order — which totaled $1,200 for curated vintage pieces — could be fraudulent.
Instead, she wore one of those pieces at Arrowhead Stadium in December, causing a surge of traffic to Westside Storey's website.
"We've had hundreds of orders over the last 48 hours," Harrington told BI. "Sometimes our online store lights up after a Chiefs game when we win, but this is 100 times more than that, and we lost the game. It was the Taylor effect."
She brought her dad and friends to cheer for the Chiefs in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Swift hit the road to watch the Chiefs defeat the New England Patriots on the latter's home turf. She even convinced her father, Scott Swift, to swap his traditional Philadelphia Eagles gear for a Chiefs sweatshirt.
Several friends accompanied Swift, including Alana Haim, stylist Ashley Avignone, and backup singer Melanie Nyema.
Swift spent Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium.
Even though the Chiefs lost to the Las Vegas Raiders on December 25, 2023, Kelce praised Swift and her family for making the day special.
"It's been a very interesting, very fun year having the two of them dating, the attention that's been focused on the Chiefs," Clark Hunt told CNBC. "Our female audience has grown leaps and bounds."
Kelce scored two touchdowns in Buffalo, New York, with Swift in the stands.
Swift joined Kelce's family to watch the Chiefs advance through the NFL playoffs — including his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, who lost his shirt in the frenzy.
She saw Kelce and his teammates become AFC champions.
Swift watched the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 AFC Championship Game, securing their spot in Super Bowl LVIII. She even joined Kelce on the field to celebrate the win.
Swift flew from Tokyo to watch the Chiefs play in Super Bowl LVIII.
Sure enough, she made the trip in time to watch the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers, with friends like Lively, Lana Del Rey, and Ice Spice in tow.
The superstar geared up for her second NFL season in September 2024.
Swift was back in Kansas City on the evening of September 5, 2024, as the Chiefs took the field for their first game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens.
She donned an all-denim getup and thigh-high red boots.
Swift wore a vintage Chiefs T-shirt for Kelce's second home game of the season.
Just a few days after attending the MTV Video Music Awards in New York (and giving her boyfriend a shout-out onstage), Swift was back in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs defeat the Cincinnati Bengals.
She also watched the Chiefs beat the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.
After skipping two of Kelce's games in Atlanta and Los Angeles, Swift returned to Kansas City in style — wearing over $50,000 worth of jewelry and designer clothing — to cheer for the Chiefs against the New Orleans Saints.
The home team won 26-13, their fifth consecutive win of the season.
Swift cheered when the Chiefs beat the Buccaneers with a touchdown drive in overtime.
One day after Swift wrapped the final US leg of the Eras Tour in Indianapolis, she was back in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite a touchdown from the Buccaneers in the final minute of regulation play, the Chiefs rallied in overtime to score a winning touchdown.
The singer was on duty again to watch the Chiefs defeat the Denver Broncos.
Swift arrived at Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce's mom, Donna. The pair cheered as the Chiefs clinched a narrow defeat against the Los Vegas Raiders.
A few weeks later, she watched the Chiefs win again at Arrowhead Stadium.
Swift wore her boldest gameday outfit yet for the Chiefs vs. the Houston Texans, pairing a statement red coat with a faux fur lining from Charlotte Simone with a vintage Chanel bucket hat.
Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Texans 19-27, adding another win to their dominant season. (To date, the Chiefs have only lost three times with Swift in the stands.)
In the business world, there are few areas that artificial intelligence hasn't touched. Many industries are rushing to adopt AI, and the technology is changing how employees collaborate and complete tasks.
Generative AI is a major buzzword for business leaders. But actually integrating AI can be a different story.
"A lot of our clients have dozens of AI pilots everywhere," Jack Azagury, the group chief executive for consulting at Accenture, said at one Workforce Innovation roundtable. "Very few have a coherent business case and a true reinvention and transformation."
How do companies move forward as the novelty of AI wears off? Business Insider's Julia Hood asked members of the Workforce Innovation board how they transitioned their AI pilots into real-world use cases. Board members shared five major ways their companies were moving AI from theory to operations.
"Before we go and tell our clients to embark on AI fully, we want to be an AI-first organization," said Anant Adya, an executive vice president, service-offering head, and head of Americas delivery at Infosys. "We want to show our clients we are using AI, whether it is in HR when it comes to driving better employee experience or when it comes to recruitment."
Members also highlighted employee training and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
The roundtable participants were:
Anant Adya, an executive vice president, service-offering head, and head of Americas Delivery at Infosys.
Lucrecia Borgonovo, a chief talent and organizational-effectiveness officer at Mastercard.
Neil Murray, the CEO of Work Dynamics at JLL.
Justina Nixon-Saintil, a vice president and chief impact officer at IBM.
Marjorie Powell, a chief HR officer and senior vice president at AARP.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Identify early adopters, like human resources
Nixon-Saintil: Because we provide these platforms and solutions to clients, we are usually client zero. We implemented AI across our business and multiple functions, and one of the first things we did was our AskHR product, which I think answered over 94% of questions employees had.
HR employees now spend time doing higher-order work and partnerships with business units instead of answering basic questions that a virtual assistant can answer. I think that's when you start seeing a lot of the benefits of it.
Borgonovo: HR has been leading the way in terms of embedding AI to enhance the employee experience end to end, right before you hire somebody all the way to after they leave the organization. There are tons of opportunities to improve performance and productivity and provide greater personalization.
Invest in ongoing training
Adya: There are certain AI certifications and courses that everybody has to take to be knowledgeable about AI. So we are driving education in terms of what is the impact of AI, what is gen AI, what are LLMs, and how you look at use cases. And certainly educating everybody that it's not about job losses but about amplifying your potential to do more.
Powell: We have hands-on skill building. This past year we posted over 20 AI workshops helping teams integrate AI into their work. We really encourage our staff to participate. We have a product we're using behind our firewall, so they can engage and play with it. We're just telling them go ahead and try to break it, so they can give us feedback on what's working.
There was a team of people who said we want to see how you could use AI with PowerPoint or Excel. And they're finding, well, it's not so good in those things. But as it continues to grow, they'll be ready for that, and they'll know what it was able to do and what it wasn't. I think it's just making it fun, and that way it's not so scary.
Murray: Our internal large language model is now a widget on everybody's dashboard that is accessible on your landing page. Training is super important here to make people comfortable with it. Even if it's just an online module, you have to get people comfortable.
Nixon-Saintil: We've also done companywide upskilling. We had two Watsonx challenges. Watsonx is our AI data platform. This is one of the ways we've upskilled a majority of the organization. The outcome of that is there are some great ideas that employees actually ideated, and they're now implementing those ideas and solutions in different functions.
Borgonovo: Employees want to use AI, and I think they're eager to learn how to use AI to augment their jobs. For that, we built a three-tiered learning approach. One is democratizing access for everybody and building general knowledge of AI.
The second tier is much more role-specific. How do we drive new ways of working by having people in different roles embrace AI tools? Software engineering, consulting, sales — you name it. And then something we definitely want to build for the future is thinking proactively about how you re-skill people whose roles may be impacted by AI so they can become more comfortable doing high-level tasks or can shift to a different type of role that is emerging within the organization.
The other piece is where we're seeing the greatest demand internally, which is for knowledge management. It's gathering information from a lot of different sources in a very easy way.
Another job family that is very eager to get their hands on new AI technology is software engineering. We have taken a very measured approach in deploying coding assistants within the software-engineering community. This year we did a pilot with a subset of them using coding assistants. The idea is to just learn and, based on our learning, scale more broadly across our software-engineering community in 2025.
One of the really interesting learnings from this pilot was that the software engineers who were using the coding assistants probably the best were people who had received training. What we're learning is that before you start rolling out all of these technologies or AI-specific platforms for different job families, you have got to be really intentional about incorporating prompt training.
Unlock peer-to-peer learning
Powell: We have idea pitch competitions and a year-round idea pipeline program where people can put in ideas on how to use AI and share what they've learned. It sparks a lot of peer learning and creativity on our digital-first capabilities to help us with our digital transformation.
Then we collaborate through community. We have a generative-AI community of practice. This is somewhat like how companies have employee resource groups; we have communities of practice as well. They give employees a space to share their techniques and learn from each other and stay ahead of evolving trends. They meet monthly, they have an executive sponsor, and they have all kinds of activities and learning opportunities.
Murray: As we monitored AI use and what sort of questions were being asked, we identified super users across all departments — so the people who were capable of developing the most evolved prompts. I suppose those prompts are now appearing in pull-down menus to help people who maybe aren't as advanced in their use of it, because prompting is a really important part of this. And so the super users are driving everybody else to show them what's possible across the organization.
Find customer pain points to solve
Borgonovo: One of the use cases that drives not only knowledge management but also efficiencies is around customer support. Customer support is probably one of the areas that has been leading the way.
We have a customer onboarding process that can be very lengthy, very technical, involving hundreds of pages of documentation and reference materials. It was our first use case for a chat-based assistant that we processed in terms of streamlining and creating greater efficiency and a much better customer experience.
Reinforce responsible leadership
Powell: We want our leaders, people leaders particularly, to guide employees to use AI effectively and responsibly. We want to make sure they're emphasizing privacy, policy, and efficiency. So we encourage managers to point the staff toward training that we offer, and we offer quite a bit of training.