Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s awesome webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!
Yes, this was a challenge indeed! My first time at making gnocchi – they only just held it together in the boiling water, but boy were they tasty little critters, especially when that sauce was added. Fresh sage was also a new experience for me – I’m used to teaming potatoes with basil – I’ll definitely try it again.
POTATO GNOCCHI
Ingredients
For the Gnocchi:
- 1½ pounds starchy potatoes
- Salt and Pepper
- ½ to ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 1 large egg (optional)
For the Sage & Butter Sauce:
- 4 tbsp butter
- Handful of fresh sage leaves
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- For the Gnocchi: Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and bake potatoes until tender, about an hour. You can also boil the potatoes with their skins on. When potatoes are cooked split the potatoes open to allow steam to escape. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out their flesh.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill. I used a medium setting on mine. If you do not have a ricer or mill you can use a masher, but try not to work the potatoes too much as this will cause the gnocchi to be tougher.
- On a well-floured board place the potatoes and form a well in the potatoes. Put ¼ cup flour and the egg (if using) in the potatoes. Gently knead the potato, adding the additional flour if needed, just until the dough comes together. Pinch off a small piece of the dough and try cooking it in the boiling water to see if it holds together. If it does not add a little more flour and try again.
- Roll some of the dough into a ½ inch (5 mm) thick rope, then cut the rope into ½ inch (5 mm) pieces. Score each piece with a fork or gnocchi board. You can also just push your finger into it to form a little bowl. This is not really that critical and done just to help the gnocchi hold onto the sauce a little better. Put the pieces onto a parchment lined baking sheet until ready to cook.
- Add the gnocchi to the boiling water in small batches. After they rise to the surface let them cook another 60 seconds and remove them with a slotted spoon.
- For the Sage & Butter Sauce: Place butter and sage into skillet over medium heat. Cook until the butter starts to brown and the sage is sizzling. Toss with gnocchi, salt and pepper, and plenty of Parmesan cheese.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how if you liked it in the comments below!
yummm, love gnocchi!
Thanks Geraldine – yes, it’s a new experience for me, but I’m willing to try it again!