Many of you know that potatoes are my favorite carb. You can keep your rice and bread, I’ll take these delicious tubers any day of the week, every day of the week, any which way you want to serve them. I’ve made gnocchi several times over the years - starting with cooking class a while back, then using it to (hopefully) impress my future in-laws.
Again, this is a short order cook situation. While my daughter helped roll the gnocchi with her own gnocchi board, she didn’t seem as thrilled by the white truffle butter I found at the store as I was. So, I pulled out my trusty bottle of Costco pesto for her.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. plus 1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 1/2 c. AP flour, plus more for rolling
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spread the 1/2 cup salt on a sheet pan, creating a salt bed. Using a fork, poke each potato all over to allow for steam to vent. Place the potatoes along the salt bed, keeping equal distance between the potatoes. Bake until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Carefully halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the insides into a bowl to cool, about 15 minutes. Press the insides of the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Set aside until cool enough to work with.
Create a well on a flat surface. Crack eggs into the center and mix with the potatoes. Working quickly, sprinkle the flour and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the potatoes and gently fold in the flour and salt. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Working with one portion of dough at a time, use your hands to roll the dough back and forth while moving them outward to elongate the dough into a 3/4-inch-diameter rope. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut the rope into 1- to 2-inch pieces. If you have a gnocchi board, you can roll them down it with medium pressure from your thumb. If you don’t have one, you can use a fork - or just skip this step. You can freeze the gnocchi at this point (toss them well with flour and freeze them on the sheet pan then dump into a bag once frozen).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Line a sheet pan with a clean kitchen towel. Working in 3 or 4 batches (so the gnocchi have plenty of room to cook), gently add the gnocchi to the simmering water. (Be sure to let the water return to a simmer between batches.) When they rise to the surface, cook until slightly firm, about 1 minute (if cooking from frozen, give them ~5 min). Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the towel-lined sheet pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.
In a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the gnocchi. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining olive oil and gnocchi. Return the browned gnocchi to the skillet and toss with the sauce of your choice.
Am I sure that the ridges made by the gnocchi board were essential to how tasty these were? No. Was it fun and interactive? Yes. You could pair these with all sorts of sauces and dishes - pesto, brown butter and sage, truffle butter, lemon butter, pan sauce from chicken/pork, a cheese sauce, or even baked with marinara and mozzarella. I have a bag of these in my freezer and I'm not afraid to use them!
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