Beetroot Gnocchi

GNOCCHI DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Wash and peel beetroot. Place in a baking dish.
3. Wash and peel potatoes and pierce and with a fork 3 or 4 times and add them to the baking dish along with 2 tablespoons of water.
4. Cover dish tightly with tin foil. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. Press potatoes using a potato ricer or masher into a bowl. Purée the beetroot in a small food processor. Add puréed beetroot to the potatoes and mix with a spoon.
6. Add flour to potato and beetroot mixture along with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Stir with a spoon to form dough, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
7. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each into a 40 cm-long rope, dusting with extra flour to prevent sticking. Cut each rope on a slight diagonal into 18-20 pieces and press lightly with a fork.
8. Place all the cut gnocchi pieces on a baking sheet dusted with a little flour to prevent sticking.
9. Bring 6 liters of water to boil in a large saucepan.
10. Add half of the gnocchi and cook for 2-21/2 minutes or until done (the pieces should float). Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Repeat with remaining gnocchi*.
11. Place a large frying pan/skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, drizzle in enough olive oil to lightly coat the base of the pan. Pan sauté the gnocchi pieces for around 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Just long enough to give a little golden crust. Remove from heat and set gnocchi to the side.

*If not using all the gnocchi at once, drizzle the unused portion with a little olive oil and separate the pieces to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or many months in the freezer and follow the remaining preparation steps to serve (step 11, followed by sauce directions below, bearing in mind that you may want to reduce the sauce ingredients by half if serving a half portion of gnocchi).

SAUCE DIRECTIONS

1. Add the butter to a large frying pan/skillet and allow it to cook over medium heat until golden brown (around 2 to 3 minutes).
2. Add the sage leaves and cook for around 20 seconds, then add the Women's Work Beetroot Relish and stir till warmed through.
3. Add the gnocchi and cook for 1 minute, tossing gently through the sauce. You can choose to add a couple of generous handfuls of baby spinach at this point, allowing it to wilt down.
4. Serve gnocchi sprinkled with the toasted pine nuts, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, if you like.

Voila!