Crispy gnocchi with blistered tomatoes

Most people boil gnocchi. I think that is a mistake, at least for the shop-bought kind. Fried straight from the packet in a hot pan, gnocchi turn crisp and golden on the outside and stay soft and pillowy inside, like tiny roast potatoes. Add a pan of blistered cherry tomatoes and a handful of basil, and you have one of the fastest good dinners I know.

Skip the boiling

Shop-bought gnocchi are already cooked, so boiling them only makes them soft and sometimes gluey. Frying them from raw in a little oil gives them texture, and it saves a pan. Spread them out in a single layer and leave them alone for a few minutes. If you move them too soon, they will not brown.

Separate any that are stuck together before they go in the pan, and make sure the oil is properly hot. A good sizzle is the sign you are on the right track.

The best weeknight recipes have fewer steps, not fewer flavours.

Rosa Delgado

Blistering tomatoes

Blistered tomatoes are cooked in a very hot pan until their skins split and char in places and their juices start to run. They become sweeter and more intense, and the juice makes an instant sauce. Cherry tomatoes are perfect because they cook quickly and hold their shape.

The best kind of shortcut

I have made gnocchi from scratch many times, rolling and cutting and pressing each one against a fork. It is a lovely weekend project. But on a Tuesday at seven in the evening, a packet from the shop is my best friend, and I refuse to feel bad about it.

The secret is to treat shop-bought gnocchi as their own ingredient rather than a poor copy of homemade. Fried in a hot pan, they become something homemade gnocchi never are: crisp, golden and a little chewy. With a pan of sweet tomatoes and a handful of basil, they make a dinner my family asks for again and again.

Before you start

• Get everything chopped and ready before you start. This moves fast.
• Break apart any gnocchi stuck together in the packet.
• A wide pan is better than a deep one: the gnocchi need space to brown.
• Warm the plates. Crisp gnocchi cool quickly.

Ingredients

Serves 2 · Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Level Easy

• 500 g shop-bought potato gnocchi
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g cherry tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 large handful basil leaves
• 40 g parmesan, finely grated
• 1 lemon, zested

Method

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
2. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and fry without moving for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden underneath. Toss and fry for 3 minutes more. Tip onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil and the tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until blistered and starting to burst.
4. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, pressing some of the tomatoes to release their juice.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and let it bubble for 30 seconds.
6. Return the gnocchi to the pan and toss everything together.
7. Take off the heat, tear in the basil and scatter with parmesan and lemon zest.

Make it a meal

This is lovely as it is, but it is also a good base. Add a ball of torn mozzarella at the end and let it melt slightly. Stir in a couple of handfuls of spinach with the tomatoes. Or top with a fried egg, which turns it into a very good lunch. For a vegan version, skip the parmesan and add toasted pine nuts and extra lemon.

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