Potato Dumplings

Pop the cleaned potatoes in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes until tender, drain well. Sieve the potatoes skins while still warm into a large bowl.

Add 1tsp salt, the butter, egg and half the flour. Mix well to bind the potatoes together. Turn out on to a floured surface, gradually adding more flour and kneading until the dough is soft, smooth and slightly sticky. With floured hands, roll the dough into 2.5cm/1in thick ropes.

Cut the ropes into 1.5cm/ 3/4in pieces. Press a finger into each piece to flatten; draw finger towards you to curl sides. Alternatively, you can make a decorative shape by using the same rolling technique, but roll the dumpling over the end of the prongs of a fork. Spread out on a floured tea towel.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and reduce to barely simmering. Drop in about twenty four gnocchi at a time and cook gently for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the surface.

With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the pan. Place them in a buttered serving dish and cover and keep warm while you are cooking the remaining gnocchi. When all the gnocchi are cooked, toss them in the Pesto sauce. Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan