Gnocchi Patties with Tomato-Mozzarella Topping

Ingredients

• 600 g starchy potatoes
• Salting
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 150 g flour
• 1 egg
• flour (for working)
• 1 Garlic clove
• 600 g mixed ground meat
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 4 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• olive oil
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 ball mozzarella (ca. 125 g)
• 1 Zucchini
• 2 tbsp butter
• 200 ml heavy cream
• basil (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the potatoes and cook in salted water for about 30 minutes until tender. Drain, steam to dry slightly, then peel and press through a potato ricer. Spread on a work surface and season with salt and nutmeg. Sprinkle flour over the mash and knead with the egg into a smooth dough. Take about one‑third of the dough, roll it out on a floured surface into a finger‑thick strand. Cut or slice into ~1 cm pieces and for the typical grilled pattern run each piece over the tines of a fork. Shape all dough into gnocchi and let the finished pieces rest covered on the work surface.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile, for the meat patties, remove the garlic from its skin, press it into the ground meat along with the egg, oregano, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Form 8 meat patties from the mixture and brown them in 2 tbsp hot oil until golden all around.

3. 3.

   Wash the tomatoes, cut off the stem ends, and slice. Drain the mozzarella and slice as well.

4. 4.

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) with upper and lower heat. Place the meat patties on a parchment‑lined baking sheet, layer them like roof tiles with tomato and mozzarella slices, and bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes until gratinated.

5. 5.

   In a large pot bring plenty of salted water to boil. Drop the gnocchi in and let them cook briefly. When they float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.

6. 6.

   Wash, trim, and slice or shave the zucchini into thin rounds.

7. 7.

   In a hot pan with melted butter sauté the zucchini slices until lightly browned, add the gnocchi and toss briefly. Pour in the cream, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and simmer for 2–3 minutes.

8. 8.

   Plate the patties with the vegetables and gnocchi on warmed plates, garnish with basil, and serve.