One woman's foray into cooking for herself, for her family, and for her friends. It's not always picture-perfect, sometimes a little messy,
but it's always delicious. Join me in exploring new recipes, savoring the "résultats" and learning from the "erreurs".



Friday, November 13, 2009

Gnocchi with Sage Butter


Before I learned how to make gnocchi, I was extremely intimidated by them.  I'd order these little potato dumplings occasionally in Italian restaurants.  (By the way, there are also semolina gnocchi, traditionally circularly shaped.  Can't wait to tackle them sometime!)  Good gnocchi is light and tender.  Bad gnocchi is heavy and/ or mushy... I've had my share of bad gnocchi!  Well, I finally decided I wanted to try my hand at making them about a year or so ago.  After looking up several recipes in books and on the internet, I finally came up with a recipe that always works for me.  They turn out exactly the way they're supposed to.  They're great with a little tomato sauce, or sauteed in an herb-browned butter sauce.

If you like gnocchi, don't be shy about giving these a try!!

Potato Gnocchi

3 russet potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Boil the whole, unpeeled potatoes for approximately 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced.  Drain and let potatoes cool until they can be handled easily.

Mix egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Set aside.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel (often you can pull the skin right off the potatoes pretty easily with your fingers).  Put potatoes through a ricer (or push through the holes of a metal colander).  Mix riced potatoes with egg mixture.  Knead in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time.  On a lightly floured surface, knead dough, adding flour a little at a time if necessary, until dough is smooth and no longer sticky.


Divide dough into sixths.  Roll each piece of dough into a long rope, approximately 3/4-inch to 1-inch in diameter.  Cut rope into 1 inch pieces.  On a floured gnocchi paddle or back of a fork, roll each piece down the ridges (or tines) lightly with thumb, until dough curls on itself and is ridged. Place raw gnocchi on a floured surface.  Repeat with rest of dough. 

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add gnocchi.  When gnocchi float to top of water, continue cooking for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Remove from water with slotted spoon.  Serve with sauce or melt butter with sage in skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned.  Add cooked gnocchi to butter sauce and saute lightly for a minute or so.  Serve with grated Parmigiana-Reggiano.

Thanks to Michael over at Designs by Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday!  Visit her site to see all the wonderful dishes everyone has made this week!! 


18 comments:

Cass @ That Old House said...

Oh wow -- they are the most beautiful gnocchi I have ever seen. Seriously. I bought pre-made gnocchi last week... I just had to boil them. they were, well, heavy and mushy. Not a success. Someday I'd love to try this recipe of yours. When i get brave!
Cass

Lori (All That Splatters) said...

Cass, seriously, I thought they were going to be so much more work than they turned out to be. You can do it!!! ;D

La Table De Nana said...

Oh they are adorable!!!!!!

Martha said...

I've never made them but yours looks wonderful! I do love them but . . . they're one of those things that I've never tried!

Martha

Linda said...

Pretty little babies Lori...
I have not made them for a long time...you are making me crave them...I must try your recipe!
Beautiful pics GF!

Federica Simoni said...

buonissimi gli gnocchi! i tuoi sono favolosi!

honeysuckle said...

These are so cute. My sister makes them and they always turn out great. I should try them now with your encouragement. Thanks.

Thibeault's Table said...

Wow is right. I agree with Cass. Your gnocchi are the best looking gnocchi I have ever seen. Great photos. I'm sure that they taste as delicious as they look.

Ann

Blondie's Journal said...

Lori~~~

I had to copY this recipe. I have had gnocchi in restaurants, like you and it hasn't been all that great. Hopefully I won't mess up your recipe, it looks wonderful!!

Thanks for coming by! I always love your visits. And I am signing up to follow you. You have that same curiousity I have with cookbooks and playing with recipes!

xoxo
Janie

Mari @ Once Upon a Plate said...

I'm tapping my foot in your direction Lori... I suddenly have a craving for gnocchi for dinner. :)
I have made ricotta gnocchi, but not the traditional potato.

Yet.

Your recipe looks fabulous, they will be on the menu at our house very soon. Thank you for sharing another fabulous recipe. xo~m

PS. I have a couple of those darling paddles (but always forget about using them and do the fork method instead.) I like the finer ridges the paddle produces, I'll use that the next time. :)

Memória said...

These gnocchi look great! My friend was looking for a recipe for potato gnocchi, and this one looks perfect! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Great recipe, I can't wait to try it! I was wondering if you can make them and freeze them. How long ahead can you make these?

Lori (All That Splatters) said...

Anonymous: Absolutely you can freeze them!! After forming them, I lay them out on a clean baking pan, and stick them in the freezer (kind of a flash freezing thing). Once frozen, I put them in a freezer bag. I think the longest I've frozen them is a few weeks. When I cook them, I put them in boiling water frozen (without thawing first). They will take just a couple more minutes to cook, but it's the same process. As soon as they start to float, they're just about done.

The Wife said...

Oh goodness these look divine! I love gnocchi and that sage butter - my stomach is rumbling already!!!!

Christine Cha-Sartori said...

How big are the russet potatoes that you use?

Lori (All That Splatters) said...

Christine, I would say they're the size of a baking potato. It doesn't matter too much - just knead in the flour little by little until your dough is no longer sticky and will roll into a rope very easily for you. You may need a little less than the recipe calls for or a little more. I've always hated the recipe term "until the dough feels right" - but that's basically what you're going for: a dough that's easy to handle, not too soft, not too stiff.

Please let me know if that's not enough information. I'll see if I can help further. Thanks for visiting All That Splatters!

Anonymous said...

I made these with some friends a couple of months ago and they were delicious! Unfortunately ours looked more like blobs than the lovely gnochi in your pictures. Could you elaborate on the fork rolling process?
Grazie mille!

Lori (All That Splatters) said...

Anonymous, I tried to find a video online to show you but most make it appear much more difficult than it really is!!

Holding a fork with the tines down on the counter, push a one-inch piece of dough down the back of the tines with your thumb. This will form an slight indentation on one side, with grooves formed on the other side.

Hopefully, that will help you. It doesn't take much pressure at all!


Lori

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