This is a complete indulgence and the ultimate comfort food.

Soft, unctuous gnocchi tucked up in a thick, garlic cream sauce, peppered with rich bacon and topped with baked cheese. Yep, I know, this is the one. (But maybe not one for everyday!)


Ingredients: Serves 2

About two cups of gnocchi pieces- use this recipe
2 cloves of garlic
6 strips of bacon
1 cup heavy / double cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
Pepper

Method:

Cook the gnocchi as per normal in boiling salted water. They will take about 3-4 minutes if fresh, closer to 8-10 minutes if frozen. Spear a piece of gnocchi to make sure it's cook all the way through once they start to bob to the surface.

Take the gnocchi off the heat, drain and allow to steam 'dry' in the sieve whilst you prepare the sauce. You don't want too much excess water in you bake as it will thin out the sauce.

Chop the bacon and fry in a large frying pan. Finely mince the garlic and add to the bacon pan, the bacon fat means you don't need any additional oil or butter. Cook on a low to medium heat as garlic can over cook very quickly. A lower heat gives you more control whilst slower cooking brings out a sweeter flavour in the garlic and renders the fat from the bacon giving it a richer taste. Fry on the low heat for a good fifteen minutes until the bacon is dark, rich red/brown and the garlic is sticky and lightly golden.

Add in the cream and mix well, turn up the heat a little and let the cream simmer for a couple of minutes. Season well with pepper, the bacon will add salt to the dish and I've found you don't need to add extra.. my one healthy concession in this meal!

Tumble the gnocchi into a baking dish, for this two person portion the baking dish was about half the size of sheet of letter/A4 paper. You want a deep sided dish so that the gnocchi can nestle in the bacon cream and be well coated.

Pour the cream over the gnocchi, giving the dish a jiggle to redistribute the gnocchi and coat them in the cream. Pile over the cheese and pop everything in the oven at 375F for 35-40 minutes.

The baking will thicken the cream, brown the top, bubble the cheese and, basically, make this the best thing you will ever eat ever.