Creamy Blue Cheese Gnocchi
A genuinely divine pasta recipe using Castello Creamy Blue Cheese. In what is one of the quickest, 5-ingredient sauces of all time, the soft and buttery yet sharp blue cheese melts down to create a sauce that I can only describe as perfection. This is a beautiful, decadent one to make and share with family and friends for a special occasion, and it can easily be made weeknight friendly by purchasing premade gnocchi.
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
- 1kg floury potatoes (such as red desiree potatoes)
- 200g ‘00’ flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp salt flakes, crushed
For the sauce:
- 70g walnuts
- 300ml cream
- 5 sprigs thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg, finely grated
- 150g Castello Creamy Blue Cheese
Serves 4
Method
- Add potatoes to a pot, cover with cold water and a good pinch of salt and bring to a simmer.
- Cook potatoes until tender (40-50 mins). Test they are cooked by inserting a skewer or small knife, there should be no tough resistance in the centre.
- Preheat oven to 160°C.
- Roast walnuts until golden brown and fragrant (approx 10 mins). Roughly chop and set aside.
- Allow to cool then halve potatoes and push through a potato ricer (or use a masher - just be sure to remove skins first).
- In a large bowl, gently combine potatoes with remaining ingredients (make sure you don’t overwork the dough here, that’s what leads to chewy gnocchi).
- Cut dough into four pieces and roll each piece out onto a floured surface, then cut into squares using a bench scraper or knife. Set aside on a chopping board or tray dusted with flour and/or semolina.
- For the sauce, in a large pan, bring cream, thyme and nutmeg to the boil with a good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.
- Add cheese and stir until it has completely melted into the sauce.
- Cook gnocchi in boiling water, straining directly into the sauce when they float to the top.
- Toss until the gnocchi is well coated, loosening up with a little pasta water if needed.
- Taste and season, scatter over walnuts and serve immediately.