Cheesy, decadent and delicious! Four cheese gnocchi is so popular in Italy that baked and unbaked versions are considered entirely different dishes—an acknowledgement of the way finishing a dish ‘al forno’ (baked) changes the flavor of a dish. This four cheese gnocchi recipe includes sweet italian gorgonzola, taleggio cheese, fontina cheese and gruyére cheese.
Warm the whole milk and heavy cream in a medium-sized pan over medium-low heat.
½ cup whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream
Add the diced cheeses to the milk and cream.
5 oz gorgonzola cheese, 3 ½ oz taleggio cheese, 3 ½ oz fontina cheese, 3 ½ oz gruyere cheese
Melt the cheeses in the cream and milk over low heat. Stir continuously to avoid burning the cheese. Alternatively, you can melt all ingredients in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (the double-broiler method). Melt until the sauce is creamy and free of lumps.
Finish with Gnocchi
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water according to package instructions. Add the cooked, drained gnocchi to the sauce with a ladle of pasta water.
2.2 lb potato gnocchi
Reduce the sauce with the gnocchi over very low heat for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
black pepper, coarse salt
Bake in the Oven (optional)
To make this gnocchi al forno bake immediately or the next day. Transfer the gnocchi and sauce to an oven-save dish. Sprinkle liberally with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake in a pre-heated 475° F (250° C) oven for about 20 minutes. Finish on broil to brown the top.