NZ Spinach Gnocchi with Crispy Potato Skins

by sustainableholly | Dec 1, 2022 | Kitchen, Summer

Soft pillowy spinach gnocchi with crispy potato skins. Serve with herbed butter or the simple roasted tomato sauce recipe. Delicious! Unlike most spinach varieties the NZ Spinach / Warrigal greens produce in abundance over the summer! This edible ground cover is a powerhouse in the garden and pairs well with so many dishes. Spinach gnocchi is so vibrant and delicious! Making gnocchi can seem scary but this recipe has just 4 ingredients and is so worth it! I have used NZ spinach but you could swap it out for regular spinach, chard, or any other leafy greens you have growing in the garden.

Most recipes call for the skins to be removed so after the potatoes are baked we fry them up and add them on top for a low-waste delicious meal!

Which Potatoes work best?

Floury potatoes work best (not waxy) such as Desiree, Yukon Gold, and Creme Royle. AVOID – Red Royle, Kipler. Normal “white potatoes” at the supermarkets tend to be quite waxy. This means your gnocchi will have more little lumps in but still possible.

Can I use different greens?

Yes! I love my recipes to be flexible with what is in season and growing in my garden. Try swapping NZ spinach for: Chard (remove stalks and fry them up to add to the dish), other spinach varieties, Kale, Beetroot leaves, Sweet potato leaves, or a mixed combination!

NZ Spinach Gnocchi with Crispy Potato skins

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Soft pillowy spinach gnocchi with crispy potato skins. Serve with herbed butter or the simple roasted tomato sauce recipe. Delicious!

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Ingredients

Spinach Gnocchi

• 4 medium-large potatoes (see notes)
• 2 cups NZ Spinach (or other leafy greens such as chard or spinach)
• 1 1/4 cups flour (see notes)
• 1 tsp salt

Crispy Potato Skins

• 1-2 sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 1 TBSP Butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Wash your potatoes and stab holes all over with a fork. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and bake for 45-1hour or until a fork easily goes right through. If some are larger than others keep them in a little longer. You don't want any hard potato bits for this.
2. While the potatoes cook blanch your greens. Remove hard stems and cook them in simmering water until vibrant green (40 seconds - 1 minute) then plunge into a bowl of iced water. Strain and blitz using a blender or mixer until a puree. Add a splash of water if needed to get blended.
3. Remove potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool (until you can easily peel them).
4. Peel the skins off using a knife or just peel them back with your fingers. They are quite easy to peel once the skin is cooked and slightly golden. Don't waste these delicious skins! Put them on a plate and set them aside.
5. Mash the potatoes into a fine mash. Use a potato ricer or a potato masher and fork to get all the little lumps out.
6. Add mashed potato to a bowl and mix in 1/2 cup of greens puree and 1 tsp salt. Mix until fully combined.
7. Add in flour in parts and mix to form a dough. You may need a little less or a little more flour depending on how much moisture was in the potatoes and greens. You want it to still be slightly sticky but easy enough to roll. Similar to cookie dough. The more flour you add the tougher they get so try to keep less is more approach but it needs to be workable.
8. Divide the dough into 1/4s and roll long sausage lengths onto a floured surface. Cut into 1-inch lengths.
9. Have a floured tray or plate ready to put your finished gnocchi on.
10. Using your thumb push down and roll each gnocchi piece over the back of a fork or a gnocchi board ($4 at most kitchen stores) to create the lines. This is optional. The lines make them look the part and also allow more space for flavour to cling to.
11. In a pan add butter and thyme and fry potato skins until crispy. Set aside.
12. There are two ways to cook gnocchi - boiled or pan-fried, both are delicious. For this recipe, I used the boiling method because I was serving it with crispy potato skins. To boil add your gnocchi to a pot of boiling water seasoned with salt. Cook until they float to the surface (roughly 1 minute). Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot and all the gnocchi have room to float to the surface. Strain and add to a serving bowl. To pan fry - add butter or oil to a pan (chuck in some more thyme and cook the gnocchi until slightly golden on each side)
13. Pour over hot tomato sauce or herb-infused brown butter and top with crispy potato skins.

Notes

Make the tomato sauce at the same time while you wait for your potatoes to cook. Tomatoes can be roasted in the oven along with the potatoes.

Choosing potatoes - Floury potatoes work best (not waxy) such as Desiree, Yukon Gold, and Creme Royle. AVOID - Red Royle, Kipler. Normal "white potatoes" at the supermarkets tend to be quite waxy. This means your gnocchi will have more little lumps in but still possible.

Flour - low protein flour is best for Gnocchi but all-purpose flour also works.

Made extra? Freeze your uncooked gnocchi pieces on a floured tray and once frozen add them to a freezer bag or container. Next time you want a meal simply pull out and boil from frozen or defrost and panfry.

Simple Roast Tomato Sauce

Yield: 2 cups / 400-500g

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Simple and delicious tomato sauce. Staple condiment and the backbone of so many garden-to-plate dishes!

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Ingredients

• 6-8 medium tomatoes (or 2-3 cups of cherry tomatoes)
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 TSBP Olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion
• 1 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
• 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (2inch long)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Drizzle roughly 1 TSBP oil in a roast dish.
2. Cut tomatoes in half and add to the roasting dish skin side down. Add Garlic cloves (skin on) and thyme throughout the tomatoes.
3. Drizzle another TBSP of olive oil on top and season with salt.
4. Roast for 40-45 minutes until cooked and slightly golden. Time will be significantly less for cherry tomatoes (20 minutes).
5. While the tomatoes are roasting, dice the onion and add to a pan with 1 TBSP olive oil. Cook until soft and slightly brown. Pour in the balsamic and deglaze the pan (get all the delicious flavour off the bottom). Remove from the heat.
6. Remove the garlic from the skins and add the roasted ingredients to a blender (or jug and use a stick mixer). Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly before blitzing so the mixture isn't piping hot. Add in the chopped fresh basil, chilli flakes, and cooked onions. Blitz to combine. Smooth or chunky however you prefer.
7. Taste and season with extra salt or chilli to your liking.

Notes

Tomatoes will have varying amounts of liquid. If you get a lot of liquid in the bottom of the roasting dish, pour some to the side and blitz then add if you want a runnier sauce.

Add excess to a jar and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.