M&S recipe inspiration
Potato and spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola béchamel sauce and wilted spinach
Short on time? Gently heat a 410g jar of M&S béchamel sauce, add the remaining ingredients and continue the recipe
Ingredients
- 600g king edward potatoes, unpeeled
- 300g spinach leaves
- 150g M&S ’00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 large M&S free-range eggs, yolks only
- 60g parmesan, grated
- pinch ground nutmeg
For the gnocchi
For the wilted spinach
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- 100g spinach leaves
- 1 large carrot, cut into fine julienne
For the gorgonzola béchamel sauce
- 450ml M&S whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 50g sliced onion
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 40g salted butter
- 40g plain flour
- 75g M&S gorgonzola picante, crumbled
- 25g parmesan, grated
- 60ml double cream
- white pepper (optional)
Method
- Start the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, add the milk, bay leaves, onion and peppercorns. Heat the milk until steaming hot but not boiling. Set aside to infuse while you continue with the rest of the recipe.
- For the gnocchi, put the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer until tender. Drain and leave in the colander for five minutes to steam dry. When cool enough to handle, peel (use a paper towel to remove the skin easily) and push the flesh through a sieve or food mill into a large bowl.
- Put the spinach in a medium bowl. Pour freshly boiled water from the kettle over the spinach and leave for 3-4 minutes until wilted. Drain, rinse in cold water, then wrap in a tea towel and squeeze out as much water as possible – the leaves need to be very dry. Blitz the spinach in a food processor or blender until finely puréed.
- Add the spinach, flour, egg yolk, parmesan and nutmeg to the potato along with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Bring together to make a soft but not sticky rollable dough, adding more flour if necessary (the less flour used the better).
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour, divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a sausage about 3cm thick. Cut each sausage into 4cm pieces. Roll each one making an indent in the middle and put on a lightly floured tray. Set aside while you make the gorgonzola sauce and the spinach sauce.
- For the wilted spinach, heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, almonds and carrots and gently cook over a low heat until golden. Add the spinach and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat up to high and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Set aside to reheat when the gnocchi is ready.
- Strain the infused milk for the bechamel sauce into a jug. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk to make a roux. Keep the heat on medium and gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps forming. Remove from the heat and add the gorgonzola, parmesan, cream. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Bring a very large pan of water to the boil. Add 2 tbsp salt. Add the gnocchi. When they float to the surface, they’re ready. Carefully scoop them out with a slotted spoon or small sieve. Place them in a serving dish and drain off any excess water. Pour over the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve.
