Vegan gnocchi

1. Set the oven to 200° C / 390° F (no fan).
2. Pierce the clean potatoes all over with a skewer or a sharp knife. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 60 minutes (for medium size potatoes), turning to the other side halfway through (be sure to use kitchen gloves or kitchen tongs). They are ready as soon as a sharp knife slides in easily.
3. While the potatoes are baking, prepare your work bench by cleaning it and sprinkling with a generous amount of flour.
4. As soon as the potatoes come out of the oven, cut them in half. Put each half (skin on) into a potato ricer so that the cut side is right against the mesh. Rice the potatoes all over the prepared work bench area, spreading them a little (instead of placing all the flesh in one massive heap) so that more steam can escape as they cool.
5. Once you are done with all the potatoes, you may want to go over the skins with a spoon, scooping the rest of the flesh and ricing it – I find that there is always a generous layer of potato flesh left.
6. Sprinkle riced potatoes evenly with salt, nutmeg and half of the flour and then using a large knife (a pastry cutter or a bench scraper) cut the flour into the potatoes using a chopping motion.
7. Next use your hands to knead the dough very gently as you do want a uniform dough to form, but you do not want to knead it too much as that will develop gluten in the flour and your gnocchi will be chewy. Keep on adding a little bit of flour at a time until the dough isn’t sticky anymore. The less flour the better (produces lighter gnocchi) but too little flour will make them fall apart in cooking so don’t go crazy. A good guide is about 10-15% flour compared to the weight of uncooked potatoes.
8. Once you have a uniform dough that holds together well yet it is still very pliable, divide it into quarters. Roll each quarter into a long thin snake. Using a knife, cut the snake into same size pieces. Coat them lightly in flour.
9. OPTIONALLY, you may want to ridge your gnocchi using the tines of a fork (or a gnocchi board if you own one), but that part is fairly time consuming, takes a while to get the hang of and it’s not necessary, especially if you intend to serve them simply, in sage and garlic-flavoured olive oil. The idea is that the ridges help the gnocchi to hold more sauce, so if you are serving yours with a ragù, for example, you may want to spend the extra time. To ridge the gnocchi, roll each piece into a ball and then gently roll it against the back of the fork.
10. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Put a batch (say 20 – depends on the size of your pot) into the boiling water. Give the water a gentle stir and wait for the gnocchi to resurface (1-2 minutes). As soon as they come to the surface, scoop them up with a slotted spoon. Allow the excess water to drain away over the pot and place on a clean plate. Continue with the rest of your gnocchi.
11. If you like your gnocchi pan-fried, allow them to cool down completely before frying or, even better, store them in the fridge overnight or else they will fall apart and turn into mush. I’ve also tried frying them from raw (i.e. no prior boiling) and it does work but you need to fry them on a low heat and for a longer period of time to make sure the flour inside is fully cooked.
12. To pan-fry your gnocchi, bring a non-stick pan to temperature, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil, let the oil get hot and then throw cold gnocchi into the oil. Shake the pan to coat the gnocchi in oil and then leave undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms of the gnocchi get caramelised. Toss the pan again and continue in the same manner until the gnocchi is golden on both sides. Serve with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, crushed hazelnuts and fried sage leaves (see below).

SAGE AND GARLIC OLIVE OIL (for boiled gnocchi)

1. Heat up a heavy bottom frying pan on a low heat. Once hot, add sage leaves. Allow them to fry for a few minutes (until stiff), then gently lift them out of the pan and place on a piece of paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to cool (they will crisp up).
2. Add chopped garlic to the sage flavoured oil. Gently cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, but do not allow it to brown as it will taste bitter. If the garlic is sizzling too aggressively, turn the heat off (or take the pan off the heat if not using gas) and allow it to cook in the residual heat.
3. Add nutritional yeast to the garlicky oil, a good pinch of salt and a splash of gnocchi cooking water and whisk until emulsified. If the sauce is too thin, allow the excess water to cook out until it reaches the desired consistency.
4. Toss the drained gnocchi in the sauce well, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with mild chilli (if using).
5. Divide between plates, sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts and crushed sage leaves.