When you crave a warming and incredibly quick sweet treat or lunch, but don’t want to spend hours preparing homemade dough, just forget about lengthy cooking. Forget complicated recipes – these store-bought potato gnocchi, cooked and pan-fried in butter until golden, served with fragrant poppy seeds, sugar, and sweet stewed plums are the absolute best, and they’ll disappear from the table in no time. The secret to success lies in the crispy buttery crust on the gnocchi, the contrast of hot fruit, and a generous layer of ground poppy seeds.
What you’ll need for a quick family-sized portion:
Main ingredients:
- Potato gnocchi: 1 to 2 packs (quality store-bought potato gnocchi)
- Butter: 30 to 50 g (for frying the gnocchi until crispy)
- Plums: fresh or frozen plums (pitted and cut into smaller pieces)
- Sugar: granulated or cane sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
- Ground poppy seeds: a generous portion of ground poppy seeds mixed with powdered sugar
- Optional for extra flavor: a pinch of ground cinnamon or a spoonful of rum for the stewed plums
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Cooking and frying the gnocchi in butter: Cook the potato gnocchi in salted boiling water according to the instructions on the package (once they float to the surface, they’re done). Then drain them. In a deep pan, melt a generous amount of butter and fry the cooked gnocchi, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy on the outside.
2. Preparing the stewed plums: Meanwhile, prepare the fruit in a small saucepan. Cut the pitted plums into pieces, add a splash of water, sprinkle with sugar (and optionally a pinch of cinnamon), and simmer, stirring occasionally, until you get a hot, fragrant fruit sauce.
3. Serving and finishing: Place the fried buttery gnocchi on plates. Generously sprinkle them with ground poppy seeds mixed with sugar and lavishly top with the hot stewed plums.
Proven tips for the best result:
- Buttery crust on the gnocchi: Briefly frying the cooked gnocchi in real butter creates a delicate crust on the outside, while the inside stays wonderfully fluffy.
- The perfect poppy seed combo: The traditional combination of ground poppy seeds, sugar, butter, and sweet plum sauce is a guaranteed winner that never gets old.
- Lightning-fast preparation: This entire treat is ready in less than 15 minutes, making it the perfect quick fix when you’re in a hurry.
