Gnocchi di Patate al Gorgonzola e Noci

Ingredients

• For the gnocchi
• 1 kg floury potatoes, Désirée or Kennebec, whole and unpeeled
• 200 g plain flour, plus extra if needed
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg, the Lombard standard
• 1 tsp fine salt
• For the sauce
• 200 g Gorgonzola Dolce DOP, rind removed, broken into pieces — dolce only, not piccante
• 200 ml double cream
• 80 g walnut halves, toasted and roughly broken
• To finish
• 1 tsp walnut oil, drizzled over at the moment of service

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 200 °C and place the whole, unpeeled potatoes directly on the oven rack, baking until a skewer meets no resistance at the centre — approximately 60 minutes depending on size — because baking rather than boiling keeps the flesh dry, so the finished gnocchi will need less flour and stay tender. Split them immediately and scoop the flesh while still steaming, then pass it through a potato ricer or fine mouli onto a clean work surface. Spread the riced potato and allow it to steam dry for two minutes, because any moisture lingering on the surface will demand extra flour to compensate and tighten the dough; the surface should show no visible moisture before you proceed.
2. 2
   Spread the walnuts on a baking tray and toast at 160 °C for 8 minutes, so the gentle heat draws out their oils evenly without scorching the thin skin that would turn the finished dish bitter. They are ready when they are deeply golden and release a full, rounded scent. Remove and allow to cool, then break roughly by hand.
3. 3
   Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Make a well in the riced potato, add the egg, salt, nutmeg and 200 g of flour, then bring the dough together with light, swift hands — the moment the mass no longer sticks to the board, stop working it, because further kneading builds structure that will make the gnocchi chewy rather than pillowy. Drop one piece of dough into the boiling water as a test: if it holds its shape and rises intact to the surface the dough is correct; if it collapses, incorporate a further 20 g of flour and test again. This is where the dish lives or dies — overworking the dough past this point is irreversible.
4. 4
   Roll the dough into cylinders of roughly 2 cm diameter on a lightly floured board and cut into 2 cm lengths, keeping the pieces uniform so they cook in the same time. Hold each piece against the tines of a fork and roll with light thumb pressure to form the traditional ridged surface, because those ridges give the sauce somewhere to grip. Lay the shaped gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured tray.
5. 5
   Set a wide sauté pan over the lowest possible heat, pour in the cream and add the Gorgonzola Dolce, then stir steadily with a wooden spoon as the cheese melts into the cream, because a slow, even melt keeps the fat bound into the sauce rather than breaking out into greasy pools. The sauce is ready when it is uniformly smooth and coats the spoon in a thin, even film. It must not bubble at any point; the first signs of a simmer signal excessive heat and the sauce will split.
6. 6
   Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water in two batches, so the water returns to the boil quickly and the gnocchi tumble freely without clumping. They are done when they rise to the surface and have remained there for thirty seconds — lift one with a slotted spoon and confirm it holds its shape without sagging. Transfer immediately to the sauce pan with a slotted spoon, off or barely over the lowest heat.
7. 7
   Turn the gnocchi gently in the sauce until each piece is coated, then distribute into warmed bowls. Scatter the toasted walnut pieces over each portion and finish with a thin drizzle of walnut oil. Serve at once.