Wild garlic gnocchi with asparagus & chicken broth

Ingredients

• 500g potatoes, skin on
• 20g parmigiano reggiano, plus extra to grate
• Fresh nutmeg
• 200g wild garlic
• 2 tbsp ricotta
• 2 egg yolks
• 150g 00 flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 100g asparagus, blanched until tender, then chopped
• 300ml chicken stock
• Zest and juice of ½ lemon
• Soft herbs, such as tarragon, chervil and dill

Method

Heat the oven to 200C. Scatter a handful of rock salt onto the bottom of a roasting tray and place the potatoes on top. Prick them with a fork and bake for around an hour, until a skewer slides through without resistance. Allow to cool until you can peel them, then rice into a bowl. Add the parmigiano reggiano and lightly mix. Season with plenty of salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Place the wild garlic in a sieve and pour a kettle of boiling water over it. Allow to cool for a couple of mins, then squeeze out any excess moisture and blitz in a blender to a puree. Once cool, pour into the potatoes along with the ricotta and egg yolks and sieve in the flour. Lightly mix with your hands to form a dough. Roll the dough, a quarter at a time, into long thin sausages on a floured surface, then use a sharp knife to cut into little gnocchis.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Tip half the gnocchi into the salted water and boil until they float to the top. Fish out carefully with a spider or slotted spoon onto a plate, and allow to steam while you repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Add a good knob of butter to a frying pan, followed by the gnocchi. Pan fry until starting to crisp and colour, turning over to cook evenly for around 3 mins. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a pan with the lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for seasoning.

Divide between bowls, add the blanched asparagus and ladle over the broth. Top with the herbs, more grated cheese and black pepper.

Image: Helen Cathcart