Pre-made gnocchi is one of my favourite shortcut ingredients to buy when I'm hosting a dinner party. Sure, it's a simple enough pasta to make yourself from scratch, but in my opinion, unless you're making a flavoured gnocchi (like truffle or beet, for example) you might as well buy it and save yourself some work. It cooks in just a few minutes and tells you when it's ready by floating at the surface of your pot. Here, it gets baked in the simplest, most delicious herbed Gorgonzola sauce until it's bubbling and crispy on top. My make-ahead tips: boil the gnocchi the night before, transfer to a baking platter, toss with some oil, cover and refrigerate until dinner time. And feel free to make the Gorgonzola sauce the night before as well; just cover and refrigerate until needed. I'd serve this baked gnocchi as a vegetarian main course, or as a side dish to go with a simple roast. Gorgonzola has such a strong flavour on its own, no need to compete with that - let it be the star!
Serves 4
Ingredients
| 500 g | potato gnocchi |
| 1 cup | whipping cream |
| 2 cloves | garlic, peeled and lightly pressed |
| 2 stems | fresh sage |
| 1 stem | fresh rosemary, bruised with the back of knife |
| 4 turns | freshly cracked black pepper |
| 2 pinches | nutmeg, freshly grated |
| 85 g | Gorgonzola dolce, broken into pieces for easy melting |
| 1 handful | torn fresh spinach leaves (optional) |
| 3 slices | provolone |
| 2 Tbsp | breadcrumbs |
| 3 tsp | extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling baking sheet |
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Prepare a baking sheet by spreading it with a thin layer of olive oil - this is for the gnocchi to rest on once cooked, without sticking. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Transfer to oiled baking sheet, toss to coat, and leave to cool to room temp. If assembling dish the following day, store cooled gnocchi in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, to a small saucepan add the cream, garlic, sage, rosemary, and pepper. Heat over medium until bubbling very gently, then reduce to medium-low to let the ingredients infuse for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add Gorgonzola and nutmeg, stir to combine until cheese is melted.
- Set oven to broil and place the rack in the top position of oven.
- Transfer cooked gnocchi to an 8x8-inch baking dish or cast iron skillet. Top with provolone slices. Remove and discard herbs and garlic from Gorgonzola sauce, add spinach (if using) and pour over gnocchi.
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs with olive oil to moisten, and then sprinkle over dish. Broil 3-5 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy on top. Let cool a minute or two (if you can stand the wait) before serving.
