POTATO GNOCCHI
WITH FARMHOUSE BUTTER

Thursday dumplings! Here is the solandra version of this typical dish of the Italian tradition with good alpine butter and a sprinkling of smoked ricotta which in dialect we call poina.

Once ready, enjoy them in company, but prepare many: one leads to another!

Boil the potatoes in their skins in a pan (or a pressure cooker to halve cooking time) and when ready, cut them in half and purée.  There is no need to peel them: placing them cut side down in the potato ricer makes it mess free and quick. Remove the peel from inside the ricer each time to make the job easy. When they are cool enough to handle, add the other ingredients, starting with the egg, to give you a better idea of the consistency, then the flour (the dose given is only approximate because much will depend on the quality and the water content of the potatoes, but do not add too much more flour than the amount given as this will make the gnocchi hard and sticky), the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Knead until all the ingredients are mixed in and them shape the gnocchi. Boil them in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain and toss in a frying pan in which you have browned the butter. Serve topped with coarsely grated smoked ricotta.

TIPS: If you want to flavour the butter, you can add a few sage leaves. To make an appetising creamy sauce when tossing the gnocchi in the butter, add a drop of their cooking water and they will be even more delicious.