Nettles are free and can be foraged so easily (with a pair of gloves on!), but if you prefer you could use spinach, fresh basil or wild garlic leaves instead.
Serves 4
- 2kg Russet potatoes
- 450g nettle tips
- 4 free-range egg yolks
- 240g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
- 250ml double cream
- 250ml hot chicken stock
- 100g Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. To make the gnocchi, cook the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in very little water for about 30 minutes. Once cooked, peel and mash them well or put through a potato ricer.
2. Wearing gloves to protect your hands, blanch the nettles by placing them in a saucepan of boiling water over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry (the sting is removed once the nettles are blanched). Finely chop the nettles and fold them into the mashed potatoes.
3. Mix the egg yolks and flour into the potato and nettle mixture to create a dough, and season with salt and pepper. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until well combined. Shape into three or four balls.
4. Dust the surface with more flour if necessary. Using your fingertips, roll one of the dough balls into a sausage shape about 2cm in diameter. Cut the dough into 2.5cm pieces – these are your gnocchi. Roll the gnocchi against the fork to create ridges. (This will help hold the sauce on the gnocchi once cooked.) Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. For the sauce, place all the ingredients in a saucepan, stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in the gnocchi for 2–3 minutes. When they have risen to the surface of the water, they are cooked, so remove them quickly using a slotted spoon and drain.
Tip: The gnocchi into the frying pan and mix them gently in the cheese sauce. Transfer to warmed plates and serve.
Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna. Publisher: Kyle Books, photograph: Tara Fisher