We almost always boil them. Yet fresh shop-bought gnocchi are far better put straight into the pan: they brown, turn crisp outside and stay soft inside. Eight minutes, one pan, nothing to drain.
For two
- 500 g fresh gnocchi (chilled aisle)
- 1 spoon of neutral oil
- 30 g butter
- A few sage leaves (or thyme, or garlic)
- Parmesan, salt, pepper
The method
- Separate the gnocchi if they're stuck together in the packet. No need to rinse or cook them first.
- Empty pan, medium-high heat, until the water drop test works. Then the oil.
- The gnocchi in a single layer, not overlapping. In a 24 cm pan, 250 g at a time; for 500 g, a 28 cm or two batches.
- 3 minutes untouched, until the underside is well browned. They release by themselves when ready.
- Shake or turn them, then another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then to brown the other sides.
- Drop to medium, the butter and sage: 30 seconds, until the butter foams and the sage turns crisp. Parmesan, pepper, done.
Why it works without water
Fresh shop-bought gnocchi are already cooked during production. They only need heating through: the pan does it while browning them, water does it while softening them. Just check the packet — some homemade or frozen gnocchi need boiling.
The three mistakes
Too many gnocchi at once. They release their moisture together and stay pale and sticky.
Stirring them straight away. The crust has no time to form, and they catch on the base.
Butter at the start. It burns before the gnocchi are golden. Oil to brown, butter to finish.
What to serve them with
With golden mushrooms or pan-fried vegetables made in the same pan just before, or with a tomato sauce. For a richer sauce, deglaze the base with a splash of cream and a little gorgonzola — the recipe is in the 10 pan sauces in 3 minutes booklet.
A properly hot pan that browns without you having to baby it: that's what a stainless pan does. The pan we film with is 304 stainless with no coating, with the 25-recipe book free.
