Gnocchi Surprise

Hi potato lovers,

I am really pleased to share this recipe with you, since it is one that characterises the territory I come from in Italy. I am going to teach you how to make gnocchi, but not the classic ones. These have stuffing in them, normally half apricot or prunes. For a change, I decided to make a modification to the original recipe and put jam and Nutella in them.

Your guests will be very surprised as soon as the cut the gnocchi in half!

- 500g/1.10 lb red potatoes
- 250g/0.55 lb flour
- 0.22 lb unsalted butter
- 1egg
- Favourite jam and Nutella
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup salt

As first step, boil the potatoes in cold water. When they are tender, drain them and leave them aside to cool. After roughly 20 minutes peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks in a big bowl.
Mash the potatoes using a potato masher until you reach a creamy consistency.

Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large wooden board and create a volcano shape. Add the egg and salt to the mix and then the flour a bit at the time while kneading, until you have added the whole quantity. Bring the dough together using your hands. The end result should be firm and slightly sticky. Add more flour if it is too sticky.

Now you are ready to stuff the gnocchi. Take a small portion of the potato dough, then create a ball with your hands and then press it into a disc. Take 1 teaspoon of Nutella or jam at the time and put it in the centre of the disc. Close it by glueing together the edges of the disc. Make sure to close all wholes otherwise the stuffing will come out. Roll the ball within your palms and add more flour if needed.
Place the gnocchi on the cutting board. Proceed with the same method until you have used all the dough and alternate Nutella and jam, to have a good variety of tastes.

Take a large pot and bring to boil salted water. Gently drop the gnocchi using a ladle and let the boil for around 4 minutes, until they float on the surface. Take them out from the pot as soon as they float.

While the gnocchi are boiling prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a pan and add the breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon to it. After the butter melted, leave the mix on the heat for 5 minutes, reducing the heat to the minimum.

Serve the gnocchi with the sauce and eat them immediately.

You can freeze the gnocchi for 1 month, just before adding the sauce.

I hope you enjoy it, I did :)