Georgina Hayden's recipe for parmesan and sage jacket potato gnocchi | Quick and easy

"If I'm going to the effort of making jacket potatoes (and by effort I mean putting them in the oven for an hour), I will almost always pop in a few extra spuds to make gnocchi for a later meal. The difference between shop-bought and homemade gnocchi is vast, especially the vac-packed, long-life kind, which are dense and can be heavy. Freshly made gnocchi, with fluffy baked potatoes, however, are light as air, pillowy and silky. If that sounds intimidating, let me reassure you that this recipe is really forgiving, and much easier than making fresh sheet pasta. I love them served simply, as here, with a slightly nutty sage butter and lots of parmesan. The simple sauce lets those gnocchi sing."

"Parmesan and sage jacket potato gnocchi Prep 10 min Cook 30 min+ Serves 4 2 leftover cooked baked potatoes, or 2 baking potatoes (about 550g) 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing 1 large egg Sea salt and black pepper 100g flour, plus extra for dusting Nutmeg 40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes 2 big sprigs fresh sage, leaves picked 1 garlic clove, smashed in its skin 30g parmesan, finely grated lemon"

"If you're baking the potatoes, heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, put in a small tray and rub all over with a little olive oil. Bake for about an hour to an hour and 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through. (If you're using leftover cooked jacket potatoes, put them in a bowl and pop in the microwave to reheat.) When the potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and press the flesh through a potato ricer and into a medium bowl (or mash by hand). You will need 275g mashed potato. Make a well in the middle, crack in the egg, season well and beat with a fork. Sift in 90g of the flour and finely grate in a few scratchings of nutmeg, then knead, adding the extra flour if the mix feels sticky. You want a smooth dough, but don't overwork it. Turn out the gnocchi mix on to a lightly flou"

Use baked or leftover jacket potatoes as the base for light, pillowy gnocchi. Rice or mash warm potato flesh to 275g, make a well, add an egg, season, and combine with flour and a little nutmeg. Knead gently until a smooth, not overworked, dough forms and dust with flour while shaping. Boil or cook the shaped gnocchi briefly until they rise, then toss in a nutty sage butter made with butter, sage leaves and a garlic clove. Finish with plenty of finely grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon for brightness.

Read at www.theguardian.com