New York Times recipe: Crispy gnocchi with burst tomatoes and mozzarella

This recipe puts store-bought gnocchi to good use, browning it in a pan for a mix of crispy outsides and chewy middles. It’s then paired with juicy tomatoes and melty, blistered pockets of mozzarella for even more crisp-tenderness. Use cherry tomatoes here, as they’re reliably more flavourful year-round than larger, more watery varieties, like beefsteak and heirloom. But whatever kind you use, taste your tomatoes, and if they’re more tart than sweet, add ½ tsp sugar in Step 2.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 (350-500g) packages shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi

¼ cup unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼ tsp red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

salt flakes and black pepper

2 packets small tomatoes, such as cherry or grape

¼ cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves (optional), plus more for serving

250g fresh mozzarella, cut or torn into roughly 1cm pieces

Preparation:

Step 1 Heat the grill in your oven with a rack about 15cm from the heat source.

Step 2 In a large (12-inch/30cm) frying pan on the stovetop, heat enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan (about 1 tbsp) over medium-high. Add half the gnocchi to the pan, breaking up any that are stuck together. Cover with a lid or baking sheet and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi and olive oil.

Step 3 Add the butter to the frying pan and cook over medium-high, stirring often, until golden-brown and toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic, red-pepper flakes, 1 ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper, reducing the heat slightly if necessary to avoid scorching. Add the tomatoes and 3 tbsp water and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid has slightly thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Smash the tomatoes as they burst to help them along.

Step 4 Add the seared gnocchi and ¼ cup basil (if using), stir to coat, then shake into an even layer. Top with the mozzarella and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Grill until the cheese is melted and browned in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Top with more basil, red-pepper flakes and black pepper as desired.

Serves 4

Total time: 25 minutes

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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