Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

From the garden

• 24 fresh sage leaves
• 2 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed, left whole

From the pantry

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour — plus more for dusting
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 6 tbsp butter
• ½ cup parmesan, finely grated, plus more to serve
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Boil the whole, unpeeled potatoes in salted water 30–40 minutes until a skewer slides through easily. Drain, and as soon as you can handle them, peel and press through a ricer (or grate on the large holes) onto a floured counter. Let the steam escape 5 minutes — dry potato means light gnocchi.
2. Spread the riced potato out, sprinkle with 1.5 teaspoons salt, drizzle with the egg, and scatter over most of the flour. Fold and press gently with a bench scraper or your hands just until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms, adding flour a spoonful at a time only if it sticks badly. Kneading develops gluten and makes gnocchi rubbery — under-mix.
3. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a rope about 3/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into 1-inch pillows and, if you like, roll each down the tines of a fork for the classic ridges. Line them up on a floured sheet pan without touching.
4. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat with the sage leaves. Cook, swirling, 3–5 minutes: the sage will crisp and the milk solids will turn hazelnut-brown and smell toasty. Pull it off the heat the moment it's amber — brown butter burns in seconds.
5. Boil the gnocchi in two batches. They're done about 30 seconds after they bob to the surface — lift them out with a slotted spoon straight into the sage butter, adding a couple tablespoons of the starchy cooking water.
6. Toss the skillet over low heat until the butter and starchy water form a light glaze, shower with the parmesan and black pepper, and serve immediately with the crisp sage leaves on top.