I like pizza, focaccia, arancini, and roast chicken like any everywoman and everyman. But if you ask me what’s my favorite comfort food, what really makes me feel better when I’m having a bad day, the answer is gnocchi with loads of butter, sage, and lashings of parmigiano. Because, honestly, you can’t beat the sheer texture and flavor overload of a good plate of homemade potato gnocchi. 

Here in my region, Piemonte, we enjoy them especially with cheeses and butter, as you’d expect from an area of Italy half occupied by mountains and hills: gnocchi alla bava, with luscious fontina, butter and parmigiano, but also gnocchi with gorgonzola and cream and, of course gnocchetti con Raschera or with Castelmagno, two of our most famous Alpine cheeses.