Preheat oven to 180C

Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread evenly a thick layer of rock salt on top. Place unpeeled whole potatoes on top of the rock salt with a small gap between each potato. bake in the oven for 45 – 60 mins until soft on the inside. Remove from oven and allow to cool just enough to peel them. When cool enough peel potatoes and place flesh though a potato ricer into a large bowl. Allow potato to cool to almost room temperature.

Agg lightly whisked egg. Then add almost all the flour and salt.. Mix with your hands until the flour is moistened and the dough starts to clump together; the dough will still be a bit crumbly at this point. Gather the dough together and press it against the bottom of the bowl until you have a uniform mass. Transfer it to the floured surface and wash your hands.

Knead gently until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft, smooth, and a little sticky, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Don’t overmix it, or the gnocchi will be tough, the dough should feel very delicate.) Move the dough to one side, making sure the surface underneath it is well floured. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel.

Cover two baking trays with baking paper. Tear of a small piece of dough about the size of a small orange. With the palms of both hands, roll the dough piece on the floured surface into a rope about 2cm in diameter. 

With a sharp knife, cut the rope crosswise every 2cms to make roughly 2cm square gnocchi. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on the covered baking trays, making sure they don’t touch. Repeat until you run out of dough, reflouring the work surface as needed. 

Bring a large saucepan of water with a pinch of salt to a boil over high heat. Add about 1/4 of the gnocchi. To get the gnocchi into the boiling water, fold the parchment ends to form a chute and gently shake the gnocchi out, taking care not to clump them together as you drop them in. Give one gentle stir, wait until the gnocchi all float to the surface of the water, and then cook them for 1 additional minute.

Drain, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.

Melt butter in a medium frypan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add cream and heat until small bubbles begin to form in the middle and on the sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the blue cheese and cook, stirring, until it’s completely melted, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes more then add the parmesan cheese and reserved cooking liquid. Add the cooked gnocchi and mix to combine. Serve sprinkled with extra parmesan and chopped parsley.

By: Chrissy Rob