Baked-Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 °C. Wash the potatoes, dry them thoroughly, prick each 4 or 5 times with a fork and bake directly on the rack in the oven for 55 min, until the skins are crisp and a skewer slides in with no resistance. Baking instead of boiling drives off moisture, so you need far less flour and the gnocchi come out lighter.

   Add in this stepFloury potatoes, similar size 500 g

   oven

2. Halve them while hot, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and press it through a ricer onto the work surface. Spread it out and leave for 5 min to let the steam escape and cool to lukewarm; too hot and it would cook the yolk.

3. Make a well in the potato, add the yolk, salt and nutmeg and sift 85% of the flour over. Cut everything together with a bench scraper until crumbly, then gather by hand and knead by folding for just 30 seconds to a minute, until smooth, slightly moist and no longer sticky.

   Add in this stepEgg yolk, beaten and weighed 18 gSalt ½ tspGround nutmeg 1 pinchPlain or Italian 00 flour 102 g

4. Using the remaining flour for dusting, roll the dough into 2 cm ropes and cut into 2 cm pieces. Roll each one with your thumb over a gnocchi board (or the back of a fork) to give it ridges on one side and a dimple on the other. Lay them on a floured tray, not touching.

   Add in this stepPlain or Italian 00 flour 18 g

5. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on high heat and add the coarse salt (3 L, 1×: water, number of batches). Test one gnocchi first to check it holds together, then cook each batch for about 2 min: 30 seconds after they float, lift them out with a slotted spoon onto an oiled tray and toss gently in the oil. Keep back a cup of the cooking water.

   Add in this stepCoarse salt (for the cooking water) 1½ tbspOlive oil 1 tsp

   high heat

6. Melt the butter in a 26 cm pan on medium heat and let it cook for 3 min, adding the sage partway so it fries crisp, until the foam subsides, brown specks form on the bottom and it smells of hazelnuts. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and sear without moving them for 3 min, until golden underneath, then turn once.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter 45 gFresh sage leaves 10

   medium heat

7. Take the pan off the burner (heat off), add 2 or 3 spoonfuls of cooking water and half the Parmigiano and swirl the pan so the butter turns into a glossy sauce. Plate, then top with the remaining Parmigiano, pepper and the crisp sage leaves.

   Add in this stepParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated 35 gFreshly ground black pepper to taste

   heat off