Potato gnocchi and Parmigiano Reggiano cream

With only five ingredients, there's nowhere to hide here. Just beautifully light gnocchi in a salty Parmigiano Reggiano cream sauce. This is the Piedmontese version of gnocchi and therefore only has potato, flour and salt. To ensure the gnocchi are "soft pillows", they need to be made and cooked within half an hour of making the dough. Ideally, use Desiree potatoes. However, if you cannot get hold of these then an all-rounder such as Maris Piper will work.

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until cooked, approximately 20 minutes. Test with a sharp knife, which should easily plunge into the center of the largest, and slip off easily. Drain and peel, as soon as you can, holding each potato with a tea towel and slipping the skin off using a sharp knife. Put each potato directly into a potato ricer and rice the potato directly onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and spread out. This will help the potato to dry out as much and as quickly as possible.

2. Once dry, put the potato on your work surface and sprinkle over the salt. Then start to sieve the flour over it and work into the potato. Keep on doing this until you have a soft dough, akin to a scone dough. If you use the 3.5 oz/100 g of flour and it feels too loose then add more flour until you have the correct consistency. Cut into eight pieces, roll each piece into long thin sausages, flouring as you go, then cut into approx. 1-inch pieces. Keep them on a well-floured plate and don't allow to stick together.

3. Poach the gnocchi in gently boiling water approx. a dozen at a time. They will float to the top, after which give them a minute (usually when the water starts to bubble again). Remove and drain on paper towels and keep warm.

4. While poaching the gnocchi, make the Parmigiano cream. Simply add the cream and Parmigiano Reggiano to a small pan, bring to a boil and reduce until thickened and coating the back of a spoon, approx. five minutes from boiling. Season to taste.

5. To serve – Divide the gnocchi between four hot plates and pour the Parmigiano cream over. Garnish with sage. Further seasoning is optional (salt and pepper this time) but not required. A bowl of little gem leaves is good for wiping up excess sauce.