How to Bake Chestnut Gnocchi with Robiola Cheese Sauce

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 mins

Ingredients needed to make Chestnut Gnocchi with Robiola Cheese Sauce:

• 2 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed
• ½ cup chestnut flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 6 oz Robiola Bosina cheese

Cooking instructions for Chestnut Gnocchi with Robiola Cheese Sauce:

• Warm up your oven to 400 degrees F with a rack placed midway within it.
• Poke the potatoes with a fork several times and arrange them on the hot oven rack.
• Bake them for about 55 minutes or until they turn fork-tender.
• Meanwhile, place the flours in a bowl and stir them together while breaking the lumps if any; keep aside.
• Once the potatoes are baked, set them aside until they are cool enough to handle.
• Crack the egg in a bowl and whisk it thoroughly along with ground nutmeg and a dash of seasonings until well mixed.
• Scrap out the flesh of the potatoes and pass them through a ricer to mash them.
• Place the riced potatoes in a shallow dish and drizzle the spiced egg over it.
• Work them together with your hands for about 2 minutes until they are mixed properly and dust the flour in two batches.
• Continue to work them together for another couple of minutes until they gather to form a dough; avoid over-mixing.
• Mold it into a flat round and wrap it in a plastic sheet to set aside for about 15 minutes.
• Split the dough into 8 equal portions and roll each of them into ½’ thick long rope.
• Slice each rope crosswise into 1’’ parts or gnocchi and dust them slightly with flour.
• Press the fork tines onto each gnocchi to leave patterns on it and arrange them onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
• Fill a large pot with heavily salted water and bring it to a boil.
• Drop in the gnocchi, in batches to avoid overcrowding and cook briefly for half a minute or until they float up onto the water surface.
• Cook for another 30 seconds until cooked al dente and drain them out, using slotted spoon into a bowl; set aside.
• To make the sauce, place the cream and cheese in a saucepan and heat it over moderately low flame.
• Cook for about 10 minutes, beating it often, until the cheese melts and blends with the cream into a smooth sauce.
• Once the sauce is ready, stir in the cooked gnocchi until well coated and pour it into a serving bowl.
• Serve immediately.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons