Gnocchi with sage butter
Light potato gnocchi made from baked floury potatoes and a little flour, tossed in nutty browned butter with crisp sage leaves and parmesan.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 200°C. Prick the potatoes and bake them directly on the oven shelf until completely tender all the way through.
- 2
While they are still hot, halve the potatoes, scoop out the flesh and pass it through a ricer onto a floured worktop.
- 3
Spread the potato out to let the steam escape and leave it until just warm.
- 4
Sprinkle over the salt and most of the flour, add the egg yolk and bring it together with your fingertips into a soft dough that barely sticks.
- 5
Knead very briefly, no more than 30 seconds, adding the rest of the flour only if the dough is still sticky.
- 6
Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll each on a floured surface into a rope about 2 cm thick.
- 7
Cut the ropes into 2 cm pieces. Roll each over the back of a fork for ridges if you like, then lay them on a floured tray.
- 8
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
- 9
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat with the sage and cook until the butter smells nutty and turns light brown, and the leaves are crisp.
- 10
Cook the gnocchi in batches. When they float to the surface, give them 30 seconds more, then lift them into the butter with a slotted spoon.
- 11
Add a splash of the cooking water and toss gently over low heat until the gnocchi are glazed.
- 12
Serve with the parmesan and a grind of black pepper.
Notes
- Use as little flour and handling as you can. Overworked dough makes heavy, rubbery gnocchi.
- Cook one gnocchi as a test before shaping them all. If it falls apart, knead a little more flour into the dough.
- To freeze, open-freeze them on the tray, then bag them. Cook from frozen, allowing a minute longer.
Equipment
Potato ricer, Bench scraper, Floured tray, Large pot, Large frying pan, Slotted spoon