Gnocchi al Vaticano

Step 1

Heat the oven to 200 °C. Prick the potatoes in several places and bake them whole and unpeeled, directly on the rack, for 55–65 minutes, until a skewer goes in with no resistance.

Step 2

While they bake, make the pesto. Pick the basil leaves and pound or pulse them with the pine nuts, the garlic, half the Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of salt to a coarse paste. Work in the olive oil in a thin stream, using short pulses so the blades do not warm it. Taste and adjust the salt. Cover with a thin layer of oil and keep it cool.

Step 3

As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve them and scoop out the flesh. Pass it through a ricer or a fine sieve onto a clean work surface while it is still hot, and spread it out. Leave it to steam off for 5 minutes, then let it cool until just warm.

Step 4

Make a well in the potato. Add the egg, a generous pinch of salt and the nutmeg, then sift 200 g of the flour over the top. Fold everything together with a bench scraper, then knead very briefly, 1–2 minutes, until the dough is just smooth and slightly tacky. Do not overwork it.

Step 5

Cut off a piece of dough and boil it in salted water as a test: it should hold its shape and feel light. If it falls apart, work in 2 more tablespoons of flour and test again.

Step 6

Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each into a rope about 2 cm thick on a lightly floured surface, using the remaining flour as needed, and cut into 2 cm pieces. If you like, roll each piece down the tines of a fork to make ridges that hold the sauce. Place them on a floured tray, not touching.

Step 7

Cut the pancetta into small cubes. Put them in a cold, dry wide pan and heat gently over medium-low for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has rendered and the edges are crisp. Lift out the pancetta with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan.

Step 8

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, using 10 g of salt per litre. Cook the gnocchi in two batches. They sink, then rise to the surface after 1–2 minutes: give them 30 seconds more and lift out with a slotted spoon. Keep a cup of the cooking water.

Step 9

Move the first batch into the pancetta pan on low heat and turn them for 1 minute to take on the fat, then repeat with the second batch. Take the pan off the heat.

Step 10

In a bowl, loosen the pesto with 3–4 tablespoons of the cooking water. Fold it into the gnocchi off the heat, add the pancetta and finish with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve at once.