Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 2 lbs baking potatoes, washed and dried
1 T canola oil
1 1/2 C flour
1 egg
1/2 C shredded Italian cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 T butter
6 cloves garlic, chopped
fresh herbs (oregano, basil, or sage work best)
1/2 C grated Italian cheese
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Directions: |
Directions:Preheat oven to 400º
1) place potatoes in casserole dish and cover with olive oil and salt & pepper to taste...place in oven and cook for 50 minutes or until knife inserted into potato center goes in and out easily...remove from oven and set aside to only to cool long enough to handle comfortably...
2) remove skin from potatoes and eat these immediately as a snack (they are excellent)...place peeled potatoes into a small bowl, don't worry if they fall apart...prepare a clean surface to work the potato dough,,,place handfuls of potatoes into a 'ricer' and rice, placing riced potatoes directly onto counter top...if you do not have a ricer, you could push the potato through a colander that has medium to small holes or even break it apart finely with a fork.....
3) take the potato mound and form a hole in the center,,,add egg directly to center...cover potatoes with flour, salt, pepper, cheese, and nutmeg...using your fingers or a fork, begin to mix the egg and slowly bring in the potato / flour mixture from the sides, into the egg until it all is fully incorporated...use both hands to knead dough only until it is not tacky and can form a ball...you will probably need to add a little more flour to your hands as you work the dough...once fully incorporated, form dough into a ball and then slowly begin to roll into a cylinder, about a foot long...cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and set aside...
4) clean your surface that you created the dough then lightly dust with flour...take one of the dough pieces and begin to roll slowly again with your hands to create a long rope...take your time as this takes slight, but constant pressure to roll out...the rope will probably be about 14-18 inches long...cut rope into 1 inch pieces...you can leave one inch pieces as is or roll against the back of a fork to create little ridges on the gnocchi...place gnocchi on floured plate or pan in a single layer...repeat with each dough ball until all gnocchi are formed...if not going to cook immediately, refrigerate...
5) bring pot of water to boil and add a pinch or two of salt to the boiling water...add gnocchi to boiling water, I usually add a serving size at a time...while gnocchi is cooking, add 2 T butter to saute pan over medium high heat, melt and add a tablespoon or so of the garlic to butter...by this time, the gnocchi has come to the surface of the boiling water and they are done...strain gnocchi from boiling water, shake off excess water and add directly to melted butter and garlic...shake pan with butter and gnocchi to thoroughly coat the gnocchi...add fresh herbs, salt & pepper and shake pan to continue coating gnocchi...once the gnocchi hits the butter in the pan it will take about 3-4 minutes to finish cooking...after herbs, add cheese, toss and it is done...repeat as necessary with remaining uncooked gnocchi... |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Gnocchi should be soft and tender so be careful not to add too much flour or knead the dough too much...if anything, I usually add too little flour because I find a softer gnocchi better than a harder gnocchi...
You can use sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or even butternut squash in place of the baking potato...these all go well with a browned butter and sage sauce...
This sounds intimidating but once you get the hang of it, it is not hard; just takes a little bit of time...
Do not let these sit out uncooked in a hot or humid kitchen, as they will get very soft and mushy...that is why you refrigerate if not cooking immediately...
These will also freeze well too; just lightly flour them and place them uncovered in the freezer to begin to harden, then place them in a freezer bag...you do this because otherwise they will just end up clumping into a big ball...
Other variations I have tried are cook with spinach, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts...or with your favorite pesto sauce...we even had shrimp scampi served on top...
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