Watercress gnocchi with roasted radishes & lemon

This recipe celebrates the vivid pepperiness of bright green watercress in a gnocchi complemented by crunchy roasted radishes. The contrast of the soft gnocchi with the punchy radishes is sheer bliss – and the colours of this dish sum up the joys of spring.

SERVES 2-4 PREP 40 mins COOK 1 hr 20 mins

MORE EFFORT V

500g floury potatoes (such as King Edwards or Maris Piper) skin on 20g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra to serve

1 whole nutmeg

250g watercress, stems trimmed, plus extra to garnish

2 tbsp ricotta

2 egg yolks

150g '00' flour, plus extra for rolling

1 tbsp olive oil

2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

100g radishes, bigger ones halved

1 tbsp butter

½ lemon, zested and juiced 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife and bake for around 1 hr until a skewer slides through without resistance. Leave to cool, then peel and mash into a bowl. Add the parmesan and lightly mix. Season with plenty of salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

2 Put the watercress in a sieve and pour a kettle of boiling water over it. Allow to cool for a couple of mins, then squeeze out any excess moisture and blitz in a blender. Once cool, mix with the potatoes, along with the ricotta and egg yolks and sieve in the flour. Mix lightly with your hands to form a dough. Roll the dough, a quarter at a time, into long thin sausages on a floured surface, use a sharp knife to cut a few lines widthways on each one. 3 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the thyme and radishes and fry for about 5-8 mins until coloured. Tip half the gnocchi into the salted water and boil until they float to the top (about 3 mins). Fish them out carefully with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Add a knob of butter to the radish pan and tip in the boiled gnocchi. Fry until starting to colour, about 3 mins. Season, add the lemon zest and squeeze over the lemon juice, and grate in a little parmesan. Divide between plates and top with more parmesan and a good grating of black pepper.

GOOD TO KNOW low cal • calcium • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING (4) 383 kcals • fat 13g • saturates 6g • carbs 51g • sugars 2g • fibre 5g • protein 13g • salt 0.3g