Tomato & Basil Gnocchi

Ingredients

Gnocchi

• 3 large red potatoes
• 1 ¾ cup high grade flour (plus extra for rolling out dough)
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Semolina

Pasta Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 stalk thyme
• A handful of sage leaves (optional)
• 1 jar Maison Therese Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Gremolata (optional)

• A handful of fresh basil and parsley
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

To Serve

• Finely grated parmesan

Serves 4

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, fan bake. Place the potatoes in an oven tray and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are well cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
2. Scoop the flesh out of the potato, leaving the skins behind, and press through a sieve or a fine potato ricer to avoid any lumps. (Toss the skins in olive oil and salt and bake in the oven until golden and crispy for snack!).
3. In a bowl, combine the potato with the flour, egg and salt. Mix well and tip onto a well floured surface. If the mixture is too sticky to work with, continue to add small amounts of flour until you can begin to knead the dough by hand. Knead the mixture on the bench for approximately 5 minutes. By this stage the mixture should not be sticky and have a nice smooth consistency. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Prepare the optional gremolata if desired, by finely chopping the parsley and basil and placing in a small ramekin with the lemon juice, a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Keep aside.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and prepare a tray ready to place the gnocchi by sprinkling the base of the tray with semolina. This will stop the gnocchi from sticking to anything. Roll the dough into a thick cylinder and using a dough scraper or a knife, cut off small portions at a time and roll into thin long cylinders, using additional flour to sprinkle on the work surface if necessary. Cut the gnocchi into small, bite sized pieces and place on the prepared tray, avoiding touching other pieces of gnocchi if possible. Continue until all of the dough has been rolled into gnocchi.
6. Pre-heat a large frying pan and add olive oil to the pan. In batches, add the gnocchi to the pan and turn the gnocchi until golden brown on all sides and remove