Gnocchi with White Sausage and Rosemary Ragu

Method8 steps · about 25 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with cooking-water salt. Finely chop the garlic (2) and shallot (1) and keep them aside together.

   Uses Water, enough to boil the gnocchi; reserve 60 ml plus extra for the sauce · Salt, as needed for the gnocchi cooking water · 2 garlic cloves · 1 shallot

2. 2

   Step 2: Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Remove the sausage casings and add the meat, breaking it into crumbs with a wooden spoon. Brown it well until golden in places.

   Uses About 1 tbsp olive oil for frying sausage · 450 g mild Italian sausages

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Add the prepared chopped garlic and shallot and the rosemary (1 sprig) leaves to the browned sausage. Cook over medium heat until the shallot softens, then season lightly with sauce salt and pepper.

   Uses browned crumbled sausage · chopped garlic and shallot · 1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped from stalk · Salt, to season the sausage sauce · Black pepper, to season the sausage sauce

4. 4

   Step 4: Pour the white wine (120 ml) into the sausage mixture, scrape up any browned bits and simmer for 1–2 minutes.

   Simmer white wine in sausage mixture · 2 minUses sausage with softened aromatics · 120 ml white wine

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Add the ready gnocchi to the boiling salted water. Cook until they float and are cooked through, usually about 2–3 minutes, following their packet directions. While they cook, draw 60 ml starchy cooking water for the sauce and keep some extra cooking water if needed.

   Check ready gnocchi at 2–3 minutes; follow packet endpoint · 3 minUses boiling salted cooking water · 500 g ready potato gnocchi, uncooked

6. 6

   Step 6: As the gnocchi cook, add the heavy cream (120 ml) and the reserved 60 ml starchy water to the wine-sausage mixture. Stir and simmer gently while the gnocchi finish cooking.

   Uses wine-sausage mixture · 120 ml heavy cream (UK double cream) · Reserved 60 ml starchy gnocchi water

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Lift the cooked gnocchi from the pot into the prepared cream-sausage sauce and stir to coat. If it thickens too much, loosen it with a little of the extra reserved cooking water.

   Uses cooked gnocchi · cream-sausage sauce · Extra starchy gnocchi water, only if needed

8. 8

   Step 8: Serve immediately in four bowls with a little freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.

   Uses finished creamy sausage gnocchi · Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated for serving if desired