Gnocchi with Creamy Sausage Sauce

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

1.5kg Desiree potatoes, roughly the same size

150g finely grated parmesan cheese plus extra to serve

75g (½ cup) potato flour 

150g (1 cup) plain flour, plus extra for dusting   

1 egg

Pinch of nutmeg 

Salt and pepper

Sauce

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 thin pork and fennel sausages, casing removed and portioned into tiny meatballs

80ml white wine 

3 sprigs thyme 

150 ml cream 

1 handful of freshly grated parmesan 

Method

Place the potatoes in their skins and a good pinch of salt into a pot and cover generously with water. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes (this will depend on the size of your potatoes), or until tender when pierced with a skewer.  Drain and allow the steam to dissipate in the colander for a few minutes. 

They will still be hot, so hold the potatoes and peel off the skins using a tea towel. In batches, rice the potatoes through a ricer or a mouli straight onto a clean surface (alternatively use a masher). Make a mound of potatoes, hollow out the centre, and crack the egg in. Sprinkle over salt, pepper, nutmeg, parmesan, potato flour and 3/4 of the plain flour (you may need a little more or less, depending on the moisture in the potatoes). Lightly knead ingredients together to form a soft dough. Be careful not to overwork, as this will create dense gnocchi. The aim is to make them light and fluffy.

At this stage, I like to gently boil a small pot of water and test a piece of gnocchi. Once it floats to the surface it is cooked. Taste and check seasoning and texture. If they are falling apart don’t worry, you just need to incorporate a little more flour into the dough.

Now it’s time to roll, dust the work surface with extra flour and then divide the dough into 4 even portions. Roll out into 1cm-thick sausages and then cut into 1.5cm pieces. Arrange gnocchi in a single layer on a tray dusted with a little more flour. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Meanwhile make the sauce, add a splash of oil into a large pan over a medium to high heat. Add the sausage and fry until golden brown, add the thyme and then deglaze with white wine. Reduce by a third then add the cream and gently simmer to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan, swirl the pan until the cheese has melted and the sauce is glossy. 

Cook gnocchi in batches for 2-3 minute or until they rise to the surface. With a slotted spoon remove and add to sauce. Gently toss through sauce and serve with shallow bowls with extra parmesan.