Fried Gnocchi with Mozzarella and Cherry Tomatoes

Sasha’s Hangover Cure: Fried Gnocchi With Mozzarella and Cherry Tomatoes

This is the most popular recipe that I have ever written, a fact that still slightly bemuses me. It is particularly indulgent and very moreish. So maybe it’s just the combination of salty, buttery, crispy, carb-y goodness, with the umami hit of the tomatoes that does it?

Ingredients

Friends, Food, Family

• 1 packet vacuum-packed gnocchi

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 25g butter

• a few handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 ball mozzarella cheese 

• handful basil leaves

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Simply boil a large pan of salted water, tip in the gnocchi and cook according to the packet instructions (a few minutes).

2. Fish out when cooked and drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large, non-stick frying pan.

3. When the oil is hot, tip in the gnocchi (be careful, the oil will spit) and the tomatoes.

4. After about 5 minutes, when the gnocchi have started to catch and brown, add in ripped-up pieces of the mozzarella.

5. The temptation is to keep stirring, but you want the gnocchi to stick so that their bottoms go all crispy, so resist the temptation to keep prodding them. And if you mix it up too much, the cheese will melt into a lump of goo. (If that does happen, just use some kitchen scissors to cut it up.)

6. Tear the basil leaves over everything and season with salt and black pepper. Then eat. Lots.