Crispy Gnocchi with Greens & Feta

Ingredients

• 800 g gnocchi, 2 packs
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 200 g Tenderstem broccoli, trimmed and halved
• 100 g baby spinach
• 150 g feta, crumbled
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 20 g fresh basil, torn
• 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Tip in the gnocchi in a single layer — don't crowd the pan, work in two batches if you need to. A crowded pan steams instead of crisps, and you'll lose the whole point of the dish.
2. Don't stir for 2–3 minutes. Let the undersides go deeply golden and crisp — you'll hear them sizzling steadily, not spitting. Shake the pan and cook another 2 minutes until burnished all over. Season with salt and pepper, then tip onto a plate and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the same pan. Tip in the Tenderstem and stir-fry for 3 minutes until bright green and just tender at the tip of a knife — you want bite, not collapse.
4. Drop the heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes and cook for just 30 seconds, until fragrant and pale gold. Watch it like a hawk — burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter, and there's no coming back from it.
5. Add the spinach and toss for a minute until wilted and glossy. Stir in the lemon zest and the lemon juice and let it sizzle for a few seconds — the acid lifts the garlic and chilli and ties the greens to the crust on the gnocchi.
6. Return the crispy gnocchi to the pan and fold everything through gently, so the crust stays intact. Taste, season, taste again — this dish lives or dies on proper salt, and the feta isn't enough on its own. Adjust now, not at the table.
7. Tip into a warm serving dish. Scatter the crumbled feta and grated Parmesan over the top, shower with the torn basil, and serve straight away while the gnocchi are still crisp.