I’ve just dug kilos and kilos of purple potatoes out of the kitchen garden.
Now I have to cook them in as many ways as I can think of.
I’m going to start with gnocchi, purple potato gnocchi, that is.
Gnocchi is easier than you think to make.
Best of all, it can be made ahead of when you would like to eat it.
I like to eat my gnocchi triple cooked – blanched in boiling water to cook through, pan-fried in butter, then finished off under the grill.
Ingredients
1-kilogram purple gem potatoes - cleaned
1 egg
250 grams plain flour
1 pinch of salt
Method
1. Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until cooked.
2. Strain the potatoes. You could peel when still hot but move straight onto step 3.
3. Place the potatoes in a mouli and process the potatoes straight onto the bench into a mound. You may need to do this in steps, as the weight of one kilo of cooked potatoes may be too heavy to hold.
4. Make a well in the centre of your mound and shift over the flour. Add the egg and a pinch of salt to taste.
5. Using your hands, gently bring the dough together until just combined and the dough is slightly springy. Divide the dough into 4.
6. Roll each piece of dough into a long cigar shape. Cut into 3 cm lengths, using a pastry scraper or knife. Roll each piece on a gnocchi pad or press with a fork to create sauce groves in your gnocchi.
7. Line an oven tray with a clean tea towel. Put this aside until you cook your gnocchi.
8. Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to the boil. Add the gnocchi and return to the boil. The gnocchi will be cooked when it floats to the top of the water.
9. Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon and place it on your clean tea towel-lined tray.
At this point, you can add your cooked gnocchi to your chosen sauce. I like my gnocchi finished in butter, with garlic and thyme.
