Scalloped Potatoes

OMG!  This could be served at a table of cheese snobs and they would believe that there was rich and creamy cheese in these spuds.  They might not be able to figure out which one, because the dish wasn't created to mimic a specific cheese but it is definitely convincing.  The man of the house bought some fennel with every intention of getting creative with it, but after a week of watching it not move I decided to snag it for my own inspiration.  I have never used fennel to cook with nor could I think of anything aside from soup that I had tasted it in so the search for a recipe began which led me to a scalloped potato dish that was packed full of heavy cream and Gruyere so I switched it up a bit.

2 Lbs russet potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
1 fennel bulb (cut in half and thinly sliced, stalks and bulb, no leaves)
1 medium sized yellow onion (quartered and thinly sliced)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp earth balance
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Approximately 1 cup vegetable broth *
1 cup vegan sour cream
1/2 tbsp bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a frying pan saute onions and fennel in 1 tbsp Earth Balance and 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.  While it's cooking in a 1 cup measuring cup mix 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt.  Add vegetable broth to Nutritional Yeast mixture so that it equals 1 cup and set aside.
After cooking fennel/onion mix for 15 minutes stir in 1/3 cup Earth Balance.  Once earth Balance is melted slowly stir in flour so that fennel & onion are well covered. Slowly pour in vegetable broth mix. Mix well and remove from heat.  Stir in sour cream.  Put potatoes in a casserole dish ( I chose a long, flatter dish so I would have a larger ratio of crispy potatoes on top.)  Gently stir in fennel mix so that all potatoes are covered.  Evenly distribute 1/2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast and bread crumbs over the top. Grind pepper over the top if you like. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until top is golden brown and crispy.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.