Potato gnocchi, fresh peas, brown butter and lemon
Gnocchi is not to be rushed, so set aside plenty of time to prepare.
Ingredients
1.5kg floury potatoes, well scrubbed
500g flour, plus extra for rolling and shaping the gnocchi
1 egg yolk
Peas and brown butter
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp tiny marjoram leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly podded peas, boiled in salted water until tender (about 4 minutes)
Parmigiano reggiano, to serve
Method
For gnocchi
Boil the potatoes whole in well-salted water. Drain, cool and peel, then push through a ricer. On a clean bench, spread out the flour, put the potato on top and add the yolk. Lightly knead the mix until it has just come together.
Divide into 3 pieces. Press each piece out to a 1.5cm-thick rectangle, then cut each lengthwise into 1cm strips. Roll each strip to round off the edges, then cut into 1cm pieces. Use plenty of flour throughout this process.
Toss small batches of the gnocchi in a colander to remove excess flour, then drop batches of the gnocchi into rapidly boiling, well-salted water. As they rise to the surface, scoop them out and toss in the prepared sauce or, to serve them later, put them in iced water, drain, toss in oil and refrigerate (plunge into boiling water for 2 minutes when ready to serve).
For the peas and brown butter
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based frying pan and simmer until browned. Add the lemon juice and zest, marjoram leaves and plenty of salt and pepper. Toss the peas and drained gnocchi in the butter mixture and serve immediately with finely grated parmesan.
The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up
