Try this Gnocchi agli asparagi recipe, or contribute your own.
Boiling potatoes whole with their skins intact prevents them from absorbing excess water during cooking, keeping the starch dry enough to form a cohesive dough without heavy flour additions. Selecting tubers of uniform size ensures they reach tenderness at the same rate, avoiding raw centers or waterlogged exteriors. Grating fresh nutmeg directly into the potato mash adds an aromatic warmth that complements the earthy spring vegetables.
Uncooked potato gnocchi hold their shape in the refrigerator for a maximum of four hours when dusted generously with potato starch and kept on a wooden board. Extending that timeline requires the freezer, where shaped pieces must freeze individually on a baking sheet before transfer to a bag to prevent sticking. Boiling frozen gnocchi bypasses the thawing stage completely; drop them directly into salted boiling water straight from the freezer, waiting for them to float to the surface before harvesting them with a slotted spoon.
Thinly slicing the asparagus stems into rounds a few millimeters thick allows them to soften evenly alongside the spring onions within ten minutes of gentle heat. Reserve delicate asparagus tips for the final ten minutes of cooking so they retain structural integrity rather than collapsing into mush. Incorporating starchy boiling water into the skillet creates an emulsion with the extra virgin oil, coating every potato dumpling evenly before the final addition of shaved pecorino toscano.