Bubbling Comté Pumpkin Gnocchi Bake With Bacon & Crispy Sage

Instructions

METHOD FOR GNOCCHI

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, line a couple of oven trays with parchment paper. 
2. Using a large sharp knife, skin and remove the pumpkin seeds, cut them into thin slices and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes until it dries out a bit.
3. Pat the pumpkin dry with kitchen paper to make sure all excess moisture is removed
4. Crack the egg into a bowl, beat with a fork and set it aside
5. Tip the flour onto your work surface and make a well in the middle
6. While the pumpkin is still hot, add it to a ricer and crush directly into the well of flour
7. Rice the potato and add that inside the well too. Start to work everything together with your hands, don’t over mix
8. Make another well and add the beaten egg. Work the dough with your hands, trying to keep the working to an absolute minimum. If it seems too sticky, add a little more flour but don’t make it too doughy, or the gnocchi will be overly dense
9. The flour variation depends on the type of pumpkin used. My Delica pumpkin needs less flour than other varieties, so use your judgement here. Keep in mind the less flour you use. The less-dense your gnocchi will be
10. Roll the dough into a log shape, then cut into 8, roll each piece into a 1cm wide log
11. Then cut the record into 2cm pieces using a sharp knife
12. The pieces will look like small cylinders. Repeat this with all the dough, keeping it covered with a tea towel
13. At this point, you can gently mark each cylinder with a fork or use a gnocchi paddle to achieve the traditional ridges
14. Once you have observed all the gnocchi, they are ready to freeze until needed, or you can cook them right away
15. If freezing, line them on a tray, spaced out from each other, freeze for at least 2 hours before transferring them to freezer bags. Once ready to use, cook directly from frozen

METHOD FOR BAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat with a bit of olive oil, add the bacon strips and cook until starting to brown slightly but not too crisp
3. remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto kitchen towels to drain
4. Discard most of the rendered fat in the pan, leave about a tablespoon
5. Add a little more olive oil and sauté the onions until soft
6. Add the garlic and bay leaves, cook for a couple of minutes
7. Add the chopped thyme, chopped sage and chicken stock, keep cooking until bubbling, simmer for about 5 minutes
8. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, smoked paprika and crushed red chilli flakes
9. Pour in the double cream and add 300g of the grated Comté cheese (reserve the remaining 20g for the top of the bake), stir until all the cheese melts and starts to bubble
10. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt
11. Cook the gnocchi in batches. They will sink to the bottom before they float 
12. When they rise to the top, cook for another couple of minutes
13. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi directly into the cheese sauce, add the bacon (reserve a little to sprinkle over the top) then carefully mix until combined
14. Tip the mixture into a large oven dish, top with the remaining 20g of grated Comté cheese and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top looks golden and slightly toasted
15. While the bake is in the oven, heat a frying pan with a few tablespoons of oil and fry the sage leaves until crisp, remove and drain on kitchen paper
16. Remove the bake from the oven, garnish with crispy sage leaves and the reserved bacon
17. Serve hot and enjoy!