Crispy gnocchi with roasted peppers and burrata
Golden pan-fried potato gnocchi sit over a light roasted-pepper sauce, with torn burrata and fresh basil. Keeping the sauce underneath preserves the crisp edges and soft potato centres.
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Let’s get cooking.
Cook mode
Scale servings, tick off ingredients, and run step timers without losing your place.
Servings
Originally developed for 2 servings.
Ingredient checklist
Method
- No timer needed
Heat the oven to 100°C conventional / 80°C fan, with a shallow metal tray inside. Drain and weigh the peppers, removing seeds and any tough skin. Taste a piece; if sharply vinegary, rinse briefly and drain again. Slice the garlic, then wash and thoroughly dry the basil.
- 04:00
Warm 5 ml olive oil in the saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic for 30–60 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the peppers and 30 ml water, bring to a gentle simmer, then simmer uncovered for 4 minutes.
- No timer needed
Take the pan off the heat. Carefully transfer the mixture to a tall heatproof vessel and blend smooth, keeping the blender head submerged to prevent splashes; do not seal hot sauce in a closed blender cup. Return it to the saucepan. Set aside the remaining 30 ml water and use it in 10 ml additions as needed: the sauce should pour slowly and spread without forming a watery puddle. Taste, then add salt only if needed, half the black pepper and up to 5 ml lemon juice only if it needs acidity. Cover and set aside while frying.
- 10:00
Heat 10 ml olive oil in the 28 cm frying pan over medium heat. Add 250 g gnocchi in one uncrowded layer. Fry for about 10 minutes, or according to the packet's direct-frying instructions, usually 8–12 minutes. Leave them undisturbed between occasional turns so several faces become golden. Cut one open: the centre should be hot and soft, not dense or chalky. Reduce the heat and cook longer if the outside colours too quickly.
- 10:00
Transfer the first batch to the warm tray in a single layer and leave uncovered in the oven. Add the remaining 10 ml olive oil and 250 g gnocchi to the frying pan. Fry in the same way for about 10 minutes, adjusting to the packet instructions and checking the centre. While this batch finishes, gently reheat the sauce, stirring and adding a little of the reserved water if needed. Once the gnocchi are ready, take the frying pan off the heat. Keep the first batch in the oven only until plating.
- No timer needed
Divide the hot sauce between two plates and arrange both batches of gnocchi on top without stirring them into it. Drain the burrata well, tear it between the plates and scatter over all the basil, tearing larger leaves as you go. Finish with the remaining black pepper and serve immediately.
Chef tips
- The schedule allows 10 minutes per frying batch. Follow your gnocchi packet if it specifies a different direct-frying time, and allow longer if the centres remain firm.
- If gnocchi brown before softening, reduce the heat. If necessary, take the pan off the heat, carefully add 15 ml extra water and cover briefly with a lid suitable for the 28 cm frying pan; the saucepan lid is not suitable. Uncover, evaporate all the water and re-crisp before serving. This correction adds cooking time.
- If the sauce is too thin, simmer it uncovered for another 2–4 minutes before frying the gnocchi. If too thick, use the reserved water in small additions.
- A smaller frying pan needs more batches. Crowding the pan traps steam and prevents crisp edges.
- Keep the holding tray uncovered and drain the burrata well. Covering the cooked gnocchi or tossing them in sauce softens their crust.
Equipment check
- 28 cm non-stick frying pan
- Lid suitable for the 28 cm frying pan, needed only for the optional steam-softening troubleshooting technique
- Approximately 1-litre saucepan with lid
- Stick blender and tall heatproof blending vessel
- Shallow metal oven tray
- Spatula
- Sieve or colander
- Kitchen scales and measuring spoons
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Behind the dish.
Overview
This generous vegetarian main contrasts crisp gnocchi and soft potato centres with sweet roasted peppers and cool, creamy burrata. Fry the gnocchi in two uncrowded batches, then spoon them over—not through—the sauce to protect their browned surfaces.
Ingredient notes
Choose chilled, unfilled potato gnocchi explicitly suitable for frying without boiling; brands that require boiling first are not interchangeable here. Buy enough jarred peppers to give 300 g after draining. Use brine- or vinegar-packed peppers for predictable oil quantities. Taste before adding lemon or salt.
Use gnocchi and burrata labelled suitable for vegetarians, including vegetarian rennet where applicable. Choose pasteurised-milk burrata, particularly for vulnerable diners. Drained fresh mozzarella can replace burrata, but the finish will be firmer and less creamy. Contains milk and usually wheat; some gnocchi also contain egg. Check product and substitution labels.
Serving & storage
Serve immediately, with no additional accompaniment needed. Keep burrata refrigerated at 5°C or colder until assembly and follow its use-by date. Store leftover components separately where possible. Cool cooked leftovers promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or colder. Use within 48 hours or freeze sooner, following any shorter burrata label limit.
Reheat gnocchi and sauce only once, until steaming hot throughout; a frying pan helps restore the gnocchi's crust. Add refrigerated burrata after reheating. If reheating an already assembled portion, heat it throughout: the cheese will melt and the crust will soften.
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