Potato Dumplings With Hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the hazelnuts on a sheet tray and brown in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool until it is comfortable to handle them, then slip them from their skins.

Place the nuts in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour the chicken stock over and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the nuts and stock, apple, heavy cream and salt and pepper, to taste. Blend until well combined but not completely homogenous. Set aside.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, place the hazelnut sauce and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, taking care not to scorch it.

Meanwhile, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until they float aggressively, about 2 minutes. Drain the gnocchi, reserving the pasta cooking water, and add the gnocchi to the pan. Toss over high heat 1 minute to coat, adding a splash of pasta cooking water if necessary to keep the sauce from getting too "tight." Serve immediately garnished with grated cheese.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Description:

"{Gnocchi In Salsa Di Nocciole}"