We had some of these in the freezer, (we doubled the quantity when making Gnocchi with spinach and bacon and froze half). They boil up well straight from frozen (10 mins in boiling salted water) and it was short work to melt a little dolcelatte and toast some seeds. I have repeated the recipe for the gnocchi here so you don’t have to print out two recipes. We ate this with a rocket and pear salad.
for the gnocchi:
2 large potatoes
1 sweet potato
1 egg yolk
2 tblsp milk
pinch ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
for the sauce:
100g Dolcelatte
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped roasted hazlenuts or toast sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Bake the potatoes on a tray in a hot oven (220c) for around an hour. Perfect thing to do if you have something else going on in the oven as they will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days until you have time to make the Gnocchi.
When the potatoes are ready (the sweet potato may take a little less time that the others), cut them in half and leave to cool a little. Scoop out the flesh and push through a sieve/use a ricer/mash thoroughly to make absolutely sure there are no lumps. I have to be honest, pushing them through a sieve is a bit of a pain, and I actually bought a potato ricer specifically to make this dish as I love it so much.
In a large bowl, mix the potato, milk, nutmeg, salt and 1 cup of the flour and stir well. Flour your hands, then take a small spoonful of the mixture out and briskly roll into a ball between your palms. It should roll, but still be sticky. If you just end up with potato smeared hands and not a little gnocchi, add some more flour. It is important to get the balance right as too much flour will make the gnocchi too heavy and more like boiled bits of dough, too little and the next step will be almost impossible!
Put a big pan of salted water on to boil. Lightly flour a baking tray, a chopping board and your hands. Gently knead the mixture in the bowl and divide into two. Take out half the mixture and roll into a long snake 2cm thick (this is the playdough bit!) on the chopping board. Using a knife, cut off 2cm diagonal lengths and push them onto the baking tray with each cut. Repeat with the second half of the mixture. If you are feeling fancy (or have a bored child, friend or spouse handy), gently indent your gnocchi with a fork. (NB If you are freezing the gnocchi, leave them on the plate to cool. Freeze in a box and again, respect their space.)
Melt the dolcelatte, with the butter and milk in a saucepan. Add the nutmeg and stir well. Take off the heat.
Cook the gnocchi in the boiling water (I flick them off the baking tray into the water, trying to avoid the flour) in batches for 2 or 3 mins each; don’t crowd them as all your hard work will go to waste. Do about four batches, depending on the size of your pan. Generally the rule is once they float, they are ready. Try one if you are unsure. They should be firm and not taste of raw flour. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and then spread them out on a plate whilst the next lot are cooking. When you are done, drain the excess water off the plates and add the gnocchi to the sauce. Taste and season.
Give it all a couple of minutes to reheat, then serve immediately with roasted hazlenuts or toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.
