Gnocchi di Susine con Burro Fuso e Pangrattato Tostato Friulani

Ingredients

• 1 kg floury potatoes, baked whole, then riced — not boiled
• 12 whole prunes or fresh Santa Rosa plums, stoned; cavity optionally filled with a cube of sugar
• 150 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 120 g fine dry breadcrumbs, divided: portion for pre-cook coating, portion for frying
• For finishing
• 120 g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting after the butter toss

Method

1. 1
   Bake the floury potatoes whole until completely tender, so their skins hold all the starch inside and no water is absorbed as would happen in boiling. Halve them, scoop out the flesh, and pass it immediately through a ricer onto a clean work surface. Spread it loosely and allow the steam to escape until the surface is dry to the touch — no moisture should film the board, because any residual dampness will force you to add more flour and the dough will turn heavy and doughy around the fruit.
2. 2
   Stone the prunes or plums. If using the sugar-cube option, press one cube of sugar firmly into each cavity so it seats inside the fruit and will not slip when the dough is wrapped around it. Set aside.
3. 3
   Bring the riced potato together with the flour, egg, and salt into a dough, working it only until just cohesive, so the gnocchi remain light rather than elastic and tough. Divide into 12 portions of approximately 80 g each. Flatten one portion in the palm, centre a prepared prune on it, and wrap the dough completely around the fruit, pinching the seam firmly closed so there is no gap through which hot water can reach the fruit and flood the inside of the gnocco during cooking. Roll between cupped palms to a smooth sphere — the outer skin should feel uniformly thick with no thin spots where the fruit shows through.
4. 4
   Roll each formed gnocco in fine dry breadcrumbs until fully coated, pressing gently so the crumbs bond to the damp surface and form a continuous shell. The crumb layer should adhere evenly with no bare patches — this secondary skin is what holds the gnocchi together in the water, where bare dough would swell and split open.
5. 5
   Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then lower the gnocchi in gently in batches, so the water returns quickly to the boil and the gnocchi do not sit and waterlog on the bottom; do not crowd. Cook until each gnocco rises to the surface and has floated for a further 2–3 minutes, indicating the fruit inside is hot and beginning to soften, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly.
6. 6
   In a wide pan, melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking until it turns a deep golden hazelnut colour and the milk solids smell of roasted nuts, drawing out a depth of flavour that plain melted butter cannot give. Add the remaining breadcrumbs and fry briefly until crisp, then add the drained gnocchi and turn them gently in the butter to coat — they should glisten and the crumb surface should regain its crispness where the boiling water had softened it.
7. 7
   Transfer to warmed plates. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and dust immediately over the buttered gnocchi so the mixture adheres to the warm, fat-coated surface. Serve at once.