Cheat’s Homemade Gnocchi with Sage Butter

Using ready-made mashed potato makes home-made gnocchi more achievable as a midweek meal. Swap the spinach for any greens you like.

Originally for Good Housekeeping April 2021, Alex Luck Photography, Food Styling, Alice Shields

Hands-on time 20min, plus chilling and resting. Cooking time about 5min. Serves 4

750g shop-bought or leftover mashed potato, chilled

200g ‘00’ flour, see GH Tip, plus extra to dust

1 medium egg

150g butter, chopped

8 whole sage leaves

100g baby spinach

50g Parmesan or vegetarian

Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra, optional, to serve

1 Scoop the mash into a bowl and sift over the flour. Make a well in the centre and add the egg. Bring together with your hands, then tip on to a lightly floured work surface and knead gently for 1min to make a soft dough. Wrap in foil or clingfilm and chill for 5min to firm up slightly.

2 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Lightly flour a work surface and divide the dough into quarters. Roll each piece into a 2cm-thick sausage, then slice each sausage into 2cm pieces.

3 Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over low heat. Add the sage leaves and spinach and fry, stirring occasionally, for 1min. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in the boiling water for 1min, or until they bob to the surface. Increase the heat under the frying pan to high and shake the pan to create
an emulsion.

4 Lift the cooked gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the frying pan with the Parmesan, shaking the pan gently and adding some of the gnocchi cooking water to create a creamy sauce. Serve sprinkled with more Parmesan, if you like.

PER SERVING (without extra cheese) 765cals, 17g protein, 49g fat (31g saturates), 61g carbs (1g total sugars), 4g fibre

GET AHEAD Prepare to end of step 2, then arrange cut gnocchi pieces apart on a lightly floured baking sheet. Chill for up to 5hr, or freeze until solid. If freezing, once solid, bag up and keep frozen for up to a month. Complete recipe to serve, adding an extra 1min cooking time if frozen.