Gnocchi with wild mushrooms

There is something undeniably comforting about little pillows of potato gnocchi. When cooked properly, they should be tender and fluffy rather than dense and heavy. If wild mushrooms aren’t in season, you can make this with white or portobello mushrooms instead.

SERVES 4-6

500g even-sized small floury l potatoes, such as Maris Piper, unpeeled

100g ‘00’ flour, plus extra to dust l

Freshly grated nutmeg l

1 egg, beaten l

FOR THE SAUCE

30g unsalted butter l

1tbsp olive oil l

2 banana shallots, finely chopped l

2 garlic cloves, crushed l

300g wild mushrooms, cleaned l and sliced if large

75ml dry white wine l

150ml double cream l

Small handful of fresh parsley l leaves, chopped

Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve l

1 Cook the potatoes, whole in their skins, in boiling salted water for 25min until tender.

2 Drain the potatoes and, once cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and mash the flesh using a potato ricer or by pushing it through a sieve so it is lump-free and fine.

3 Put the flour, 1tsp salt and a little nutmeg into a bowl and add the potato, mixing with the blade of a knife. Make a well in the centre, add the beaten egg and mix together until well combined. Bring together with your hands but don’t knead or you could make your gnocchi tough.

4 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into sausage shapes, about 1cm wide, then cut into 1cm pieces. Use the tines on the back of a fork to roll the gnocchi, giving them the characteristic ridges. Put on a floured baking sheet and chill until you are ready to cook. (You can cook them now or chill for up to 24hr.)

5 Make the sauce. Melt the butter in a pan and add the oil and shallots. Cook for 10min, until softened and tender. Add the garlic and fry for a further 30sec, then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat and fry for 10min, until golden brown.

6 Add the wine and bubble for about a min. Add the cream, a splash of boiling water to loosen it a little and plenty of salt and pepper, then stir in most of the parsley.

7 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi. They are cooked once they float to the surface, about 1-2min. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and divide among warmed serving bowls. Warm through the sauce and spoon over the gnocchi. Scatter with the remaining parsley and serve with Parmesan.