Potato gnocchi with sage and burnt butter

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas 6. Place the potatoes on a rack in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes until they are soft enough to insert a skewer – the exact time will depend on your potatoes, so keep an eye on them. Remove the potatoes from the oven, cut each potato in half and scoop out the centres into a bowl.

Push the potato through a ricer, or mash until smooth and press through a coarse sieve, then tip onto a work surface and make a flat mound. Sieve over 3⁄4 of the flour and season. Mix lightly with your hands to bring together and form a soft dough – be careful not to overwork. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer, pinch off a little dough and drop it into the pan. The mixture should hold together. If it doesn’t, knead in a little more of the flour and test again, but be careful not to add too much or your gnocchi will be heavy.

Once the dough is of the right consistency, roll into 1.5cm-thick cylinders, then cut into 3cm lengths, pinching the centres of each. Cook the gnocchi for around 1-2 minutes until they rise to the surface.

While the gnocchi are cooking, melt 60g butter in a large frying pan over a medium-to-high heat. Transfer the gnocchi from the water to the pan with a slotted spoon, shaking off excess water, and cook, tossing occasionally, for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden.

Transfer to a platter, wipe out the pan and add the remaining butter. Cook for 3-4 minutes until nut brown and fragrant, add the sage, then stir in the garlic and cook until the sage is crisp. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest and juice, spoon over the gnocchi, season to taste and serve hot with plenty of parmesan.