Leandro's Potato Gnocchi with Truffle and Mushroom

For the mushroom & truffle sauce

• 50g dried porcini mushrooms
• 250g wild mushrooms (a mix of oyster and shiitake could be good supermarket alternatives)
• 10g freshly grated black truffle (if you can find it)
• 150ml single cream (you can use a non-dairy substitute for a vegan alternative – i.e. tofu and soy milk or cashew cream)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 2 sprigs thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp Cobram Estate black truffle infused extra virgin olive oil

For the gnocchi

• 1.5kg of unpeeled potatoes pierced all over with a fork
• 3 lightly beaten egg yolks (eggs can be omitted for a vegan option although dough may be a bit harder to handle)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
• Salt
• Grana Padano cheese for grating

Method

1. Place your dried porcini in a bowl, and cover with boiling water, allowing it to steep until the mushrooms are plump in texture. Drain and reserve the remaining broth for thinning the sauce later.
2. Preheat oven to hot (230°C). Place the potatoes directly on the oven's racks. Bake until they are tender when pierced for about 45 minutes.
3. Using tongs to hold hot potatoes, cut each in half and place them into a ricer with the finest setting cut face down. Press potato flesh onto your clean benchtop, spreading it into an even layer allowing steam to escape for a few minutes. Discard potato skins left inside the ricer after pressing each half.
4. Drizzle egg yolks evenly over the riced potatoes. Scoop 1/2 cup flour into a sieve and tap to dust flour uniformly over potatoes. Using a bench scraper or a knife, chop down repeatedly all over to cut flour and egg into potato.
5. Using the same bench scraper or your hands (watch out that it can be hot) form a loose ball with the potato mix. Press ball flat with hands, then fold in half and press down again. Scoop remaining 1/4 cup flour into sieve and dust all over potato dough. Continue to gently fold and press, just until a uniform dough comes together. It is important that you only fold and press down but DO NOT knead the dough as if you are preparing bread. Dust a bit more of flour over the dough and let it rest.
6. Clean your bench and dust with fresh flour. Using bench scraper or knife, slice off a 1/8 of the dough and roll into a snake about 1.5 cm thick and dusting as necessary with flour to prevent sticking.
7. Using bench scraper or knife, cut snake into 2.5 cm pieces. Transfer gnocchi to a well-floured area or baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Once you have all the little pieces done, it is time to ridge them. To do this you can roll them pushing with your thumb through the tines of a fork or using a little wooden ridged paddle called a rigagnocchi.

IF USING STORE BOUGHT GNOCCHI:

1. Bring a large pot of very well-salted water to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, in a large pan, heat two tablespoons of Cobram Estate black truffle infused extra virgin olive oil, before adding your finely sliced shallots and garlic. Sauté for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
2. Roughly chop your porcini and wild mushrooms, before adding into the pan. Continue to fry until the fresh mushrooms soften.
3. Add the cream, truffle (if you have it) and thyme to the pan, allowing to simmer gently for around 5 minutes, so the flavours infuse. Feel free to season with salt and pepper but not too much so we don’t cover the truffle flavour.
4. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the gnocchi into boiling water. Stir gently to prevent sticking. When gnocchi begin to float to the surface, wait about 20 seconds, and using the same slotted spoon, scoop gnocchi directly into pan toss in the sauce, until all the gnocchi is nicely coated in the velvety mixture. If the sauce was too thick, you can add a bit of the porcini broth that we set aside.
5. To serve, finish with a good grating of Parmigiano Reggiano. If you have more, please also add a some freshly grated truffle, and enjoy immediately.