Gnocchi with Butter and Sage

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 lbpotato gnocchi
• 2 3/4 ozunsalted butter
• 1/2 ozfresh sage, leaves picked
• 1 3/4 ozparmesan, finely grated
• 1 tspsalt, for the water

Method

1. 1

   Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Gnocchi cook in about two minutes, so the butter needs to be started before they go in.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Keep going past melted: it will foam, then quieten, and then the solids at the bottom will turn golden brown and it will smell of hazelnuts. That takes about 3 minutes and it is the whole sauce.

3. 3

   Drop the sage leaves into the browned butter. They will hiss and go crisp in about thirty seconds. Take the pan off the heat.

4. 4

   Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, which takes about 2 minutes, then lift them straight into the butter with a slotted spoon along with a spoonful of the cooking water.

5. 5

   Return the pan to low heat and toss until every gnocco is glossy, then take it off and stir through most of the parmesan. Serve with the rest scattered over.