food hits and misses

In an effort to go back to a more seasonal diet, I've recently stopped ordering specific fruit and veg, choosing a weekly mystery box instead. The up side to this is that everything is super fresh, and being the stuff that's in season, there's always plenty of it. The down side is that we don't have any control over what arrives. And that's how we ended up with a surfeit of potatoes.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not on the low carb bandwagon by any means. I certainly don't subscribe to the ideas behind the paleo diet, as I'm firmly convinced that even back in the day, starchy foods were a welcome part of the menu when available. Even with my pro-carb stance, I don't want to eat potatoes with every meal. Luckily cooking up a big batch of gnocchi uses at least half of the weekly spuds.

This recipe isn't strictly traditional, but it makes a great fluffy gnocchi. I use egg yolks as we've always got some left over from meringue. If you use whole eggs, reduce the quantity to 2.

Potato gnocchi

1.25 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups plain flour
4 egg yolks
Large pinch of salt

Method

Steam the potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes until soft. Use a potato ricer to mash them. Add the flour and egg and mix well. Working with small batches at a time, roll into lengths around 1.5 cms diameter. Slice into 1 cm discs. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the salt. Add the gnocchi to the water in batches. Cook until the gnocchi floats to the top, them remove with a slotted spoon. Serve with your favourite sauce, or baked with cheese.