Chestnut, marjoram and potato gnocchi with burnt butter and pine nuts

Serves 6 Starters and mains

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Method

Cook the unpeeled potatoes in boiling water for about 30 minutes until very tender. Drain well. (Alternatively, bake them). Mash the chestnuts with a fork. Halve the potatoes, scoop the flesh into a bowl, stir in the chestnuts and press through a potato ricer.

Gently mix the potatoes with the flour and cheese. Make a well in the centre, add the egg yolk, marjoram and a pinch of sea salt, and lightly mix until it is just coming together.

Tip out onto a floured board. Knead lightly to form a smooth, soft and slightly sticky dough. Roll the dough into thick sausages, roughly 2.5cm in diameter. Cut into 2cm pieces and roll into fat cork shapes. Lay them on a clean, lightly floured tea towel (they can be open-frozen at this stage, then moved to a freezer-proof container and stored until you need them).

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Cook the gnocchi in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes (longer if frozen) or until they float to the surface. Scoop out with a slotted spoon as they rise and transfer to a dish lined with a clean tea towel.

Melt half the butter in a wide frying pan and let it go a pale nut brown. Add half the gnocchi and fry without stirring, just shake the pan until it begins to colour around the sides, add half the pine nuts and fry for another 2 minutes until just golden brown. Season and tip onto a warm, shallow serving dish. Repeat with the remaining butter, gnocchi and nuts, and mound them on top. Serve immediately.