Sage Garlic Butter Gnocchi

Gnocchi (NYOH-kee) are Italian potato dumplings. They are often dubbed as “smart pasta” because unlike pasta, they rise to the surface when ready. Gnocchi are widely available frozen at supermarkets and are a convenient choice for a quick meal or a side dish. When something is easily available you just doesn’t feel like going through all the trouble of making it from scratch. But when you’ve made your own gnocchi, there is a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

A little about shaping the gnocchi: It’s important to shape them evenly, else you’ll end up with some inconsistently cooked gnocchi. You could make different shapes. Below are two shapes that I’ve tried. To shape it like the first one, hold a fork in one hand and place a gnoccho against the tines of the fork. As for the second one, simple make tiny roundels will the dough and make a slight dent in the middle (this will help the gnocchi hold the sauce well). You should try the second shape if you want to finish quicker.

Gnocchi Recipe

A drizzle of truffle oil if you feel like indulging

1. Roast and peel the potatoes and mash them while they’re still warm. After you’re done mashing, just fluff them up with a fork to give them some volume. If you have a potato ricer, you could use that instead.Add the flour, egg and salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice a pliable ball of dough. Do not over work the dough.
2. Dust your work area with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 1.5cm/0.6″ in diameter. Key here, is do it gently.Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about 2 cms/0.8″ long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip to form an indentation. At this point if you feel you’ve done enough hard work you could just hide the some in the freezer and surprise yourself later! As you are making the gnocchi, place them on flat baking pan, lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper. Freeze what you like, them first on a floured or lined tray, then once completely frozen you can put them into a freezer bag.
3. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into salted water (or add a cube of chicken stock to this for extra flavour) that has come to a rolling boil. Gently drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as they rise (about 4-6 minutes) to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain well.
4. Now for the Sage Garlic Butter; in a large pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil, add the butter and garlic and sauté. Make sure the garlic doesn’t turn brown. Add the sage, continue too cook for a minute then add the gnocchi. Sauté till the gnocchi is slightly golden.
5. Serve on a plate garnished with parmigiano reggiano shavings, cracked pepper and truffle oil.

Helpful tips:

• If it’s going to be a while before your sauce is ready, then remove the cooked gnocchi in a dish and coat with some extra virgin olive oil, else it might stick to each other.
• If the potatoes aren’t warm enough while mashing, heat them over a double boiler until warm again and continue to mash.
  

Related posts:

1. Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic and Sage
2. Mushrooms with Bacon and Sage
3. Strawberry Butter

Tagged as: dinner, italian