Crispy spanakopita gnocchi

Name: Crispy spanakopita gnocchi
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek, Italian
Ingredients: 1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi (16 to 17 oz); 5 oz baby spinach; 6 oz Greek feta, crumbled (about 1 cup); 1 lemon, halved; 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (¼ to ½ tsp, to taste); 2 scallions, thinly sliced; a big handful of dill, chopped; a big handful of mint, chopped; salt and pepper; 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt; chili crisp, for the yogurt

Spanakopita flavors massaged raw, over a cool swipe of chili-flecked yogurt.

At a Glance

Time

25 min

Serves

Story

The spinach is never cooked, only massaged, which softens the leaves while keeping their structure. Rubbing in some of the feta first is the clever bit, the salt in the cheese tenderizes the leaves the way a quick cure would, and they come out silky and seasoned rather than raw. Be heavy-handed with the herbs and lemon, they carry the whole dish.

Ingredients

1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi16 to 17 oz
5 oz baby spinach
6 oz Greek fetacrumbled (about 1 cup)
1 lemonhalved
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp crushed red pepper¼ to ½ tsp, to taste
2 scallionsthinly sliced
a big handful of dillchopped
a big handful of mintchopped
salt and pepper
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
chili crispfor the yogurt

Method

Inspired by spanakopita, the savory Greek spinach pie, but with none of the phyllo fuss. The cool yogurt floor is the house addition, a tangy landing pad that turns a good salad into a plate you go quiet over.

Put the spinach in a large bowl with half the feta, the juice of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Rub it all in vigorously with your hands to tenderize the leaves. Leave it to sit and soften while you cook the gnocchi.
Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium high and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the gnocchi, breaking up any that are stuck together, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes, until golden and crisp all over. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, they crisp up further as they cool.
While the gnocchi cools, stir the yogurt with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Spread it across the base of a large platter and streak the chili crisp over the top.
Add the gnocchi to the spinach with the crushed red pepper, scallions, dill and mint. Drizzle with the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the rest of the feta and toss. Squeeze the remaining lemon over the top, then pile it all onto the yogurt so every forkful drags a little floor with it.

For a bigger night, turn the floor into a proper tzatziki. Grate a Persian cucumber, salt it, squeeze it dry in a tea towel and fold it into the yogurt with a little of the dill and a grated clove of garlic. Same two minutes, twice the occasion.

For a crowd

12-14 people

Triple everything and let the oven crisp the gnocchi for you. Toss three packages with oil across two large sheet pans, spread them in a single layer, and roast at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing once and swapping the pans between racks halfway, until deep golden. A crowded pan steams instead of crisping, and a full oven can run a few minutes long, so go by color. Massage the spinach in your biggest bowl, spread the yogurt over a platter or two, and toss the gnocchi through at the last minute so they stay crisp.