Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Cherry Tomatoes

Let's Cook

1. 1Step 1

   Open the gnocchi and run your fingers through it, separating any pieces fused together in the bag — a clump traps steam and stays pale. Don't boil it, and don't salt it yet. Rinse the cherry tomatoes, pull off stems, and leave them whole; whole skins hold the juice until the pan is hot enough to use it. Put the spinach and parmesan on the counter next to the stove, because the last two stages happen in under four minutes.

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   If only refrigerated gnocchi is available, pat the pieces dry with a paper towel before frying. They still won't crisp as hard, but the crust will set instead of sliding.

2. 2Step 2

   2 min

   Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in your widest skillet over medium-high, about 2 minutes. It's ready when the oil looks thinner and slides fast when you tilt the pan, and a single test gnocchi sizzles steadily the instant it lands. Silence means the pan is too cool — wait another 30 seconds.

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   Use the widest skillet you own. Crowding drops the pan temperature and the gnocchi steam in their own moisture instead of browning.

3. 3Step 3

   4 min

   Add all the gnocchi in one flat layer with a little space between pieces. Leave it completely undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, then lift one with a spoon: the underside should be deep golden and firm when you tap it, not pale and soft. Toss once, spread flat again, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until most pieces are browned in patches and the pan sounds dry and crackly rather than wet and bubbling.

4. 4Step 4

   5 min

   Add the 2 cups cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook about 5 minutes, shaking the pan every minute, until the skins wrinkle, split, and juice pools and hisses around the gnocchi. Press four or five of the softest tomatoes flat with the back of your spoon, then scrape the browned bits off the pan bottom — that juice plus those bits is the entire sauce.

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   If the tomatoes stay tight-skinned past five minutes, press each one gently against the pan side with your spoon to start the split.

5. 5Step 5

   2 min

   Pile in the 3 cups baby spinach. It will look like far too much; it isn't. Stir 1 to 2 minutes until every leaf has collapsed, turned glossy dark green, and lost its raw squeak. Turn off the heat, scatter over the 0.5 cup shredded parmesan, and stir until it melts into strands that cling to the gnocchi. Taste, add salt if it tastes flat, and serve straight from the skillet.

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   Grated parmesan from a shaker won't melt into strands — it stays sandy. Shredded or freshly grated from a block is what coats.