These sweet gnocchi, hailing from the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, are stuffed with prunes and served in a buttery sauce. They have a sweet, tart flavor and make an unforgettable dessert with minimal refined sugar. It’s really an incredible dish, we highly recommend adding this into your repertoire!
A Note on Making Potato Gnocchi
Making excellent potato gnocchi is an art, not a science. Every potato is different so there’s no “right amount” of flour to add into the dough. The less flour you add, the lighter and fluffier your gnocchi will be but the more you risk having the dough dissolve when cooked.
In this recipe we’ve included the addition of an egg, which will significantly help avoid trouble. Try to add just enough flour to hold the potatoes together so that the dough can be moulded and shaped, but no more. If you want to learn more about making potato gnocchi, check out our full guide here!
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GNOCCHI DI SUSINE RECIPE
Makes: About 9 gnocchi, serves 2 to 3
Cook Time: 1 ½ hours
For this recipe, you will need:
About 12 ounces (340 g) raw russet potatoes
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon (13 g) brown sugar
⅓ cup (45 g) dry bread crumbs
A pinch of ground cinnamon
1 egg
All-purpose flour
9 dried prunes, or enough for one prune per gnocco, pitted
Place the potatoes, skin on, in a pot and fill with water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender—about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt 2 tablespoons (30 g) of butter in a pan over medium heat and stir in the brown sugar. Add the bread crumbs and cinnamon. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the bread crumbs become crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside for later. The mixture may harden as it cools, but you can simply break it up with your hands later.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them cool until they can be comfortably handled. Peel them with a paring knife and mash them directly onto a clean work surface with a potato ricer or masher.
Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Sprinkle the mashed potatoes with a large handful of flour, form a hollow in the center of the pile, and crack the egg directly in. Whisk the egg with a fork and gradually mix it with the potatoes until a thick goop forms. At this point, begin kneading all together by hand. Continue to knead the potatoes and add more flour until the dough is solid enough to mold, but no more.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the gnocchi dough with a rolling pin into a circle roughly 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. Dust the dough with more flour as needed if it sticks.
Using round cookie cutters or the rim of a cup, cut the dough into 3 inch (7.5 cm) discs. Gather up the scraps, roll them out again to the same thickness, and cut more discs until you’ve used all the dough up.
Open a pitted prune and fill it with a small spoonful of the bread crumb mix, then press the prune shut. Place the prune onto one of the dough discs, close the dough around the fruit and pinch the edges shut. Roll the gnocco between your palms to form a smooth ball and set it aside. Repeat to fill the rest of the gnocchi.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, salt it generously. Gently drop the gnocchi in and carefully stir them a few times to prevent sticking. When the gnocchi float to the surface of the water, set a timer for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 g) of butter in a large pan over medium/low heat.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi into the butter pan. Turn the heat up to medium and gently toss the pasta to coat the gnocchi in butter. Add about ⅔ of the remaining bread crumb mixture into the pan and toss some more to mix the crumbs into the sauce.
Serve immediately, topped with a sprinkle of the remaining bread crumbs.
Buon appetito!