Gnocchi Di Patate

Potato Gnocchi: The most fun you’ll ever have in a kitchen. Period.

There is something undeniably satisfying about making potato gnocchi. The act of transforming three humble ingredient (potato, flour and egg) into a light, fluffy dumpling is one my favorite things to do in a kitchen. It’s really quite easy, you just have to follow a few simple rules: work quickly when the potatoes come out of the oven, don’t overwork the dough, and don’t forget about them in the boiling water, something I have done many times, and it always breaks my heart. I got this recipe for gnocchi while working at West, and love it to death.

Potato and Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce, Fennel Sausage, Rapini and Buffalo Mozzarella

Serves 4

For the gnocchi:

500 g cooked Yukon gold potato (3-4 medium potatoes), passed through a potato ricer or coarse sieve

125 g “00″ flour, available at Italian grocery stores

1 egg yolk

20 g minced basil (I do mine with a little olive oil in a food processor to form a smooth paste)

30 g grated parmesan

salt to taste

Method:Bake the potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until tender. Have a large pot of boiling water at the ready, with a slotted spoon handy to fish out the cooked gnocchi. Peel the potatoes and pass the flesh through a potato ricer or coarse sieve.

Working quickly, add the egg yolk, basil, parmesan and a few pinches of kosher salt to the potato in a mixing bowl.

Cut in the ingredients with a bench scraper or butter knife. Next, add the flour and cut it into the potato until a dough just starts to form. Taste a little of the raw dough to see if it needs more salt. If so, add a little more.

Transfer the mixture to a floured counter or cutting board. Gently knead the dough until it becomes smooth and homogeneous (about five or six times). If it is a little sticky, gently work in a little more flour. It is extremely important that you don’t overwork it. Extremely important.

It should feel moist, but not stick to your hands.

Cut the dough into eight equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into log shapes about a 1/2 inch in diameter. To achieve this, apply light pressure with both hands and roll the dough in an outward direction.

Using a floured knife, cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces.

You can cook them just like this or you can roll them off a fork (or one of those fancy gnocchi roller things) to obtain ridges, which suck up sauce and look cool. In the restaurants I have worked in, they usually skip this step, instead opting for the pillow look. I say if you have the time and the desire to create these little nooks and crannies for the sauce to hide in, do it. Take each piece of dough and roll it off the end of the fork with your thumb, applying gentle pressure. It may take a few tries to get the shape, but you should have a little belly-button like hole on one side, and distinct ridges on the other. Fun.

Transfer the pieces of gnocchi to a floured baking tray or plate, and gently slide the gnocchi into the boiling water in a few batches. When the gnocchi float, they are essentially done (they will cook a little more in the sauce). Fish them out with the slotted spoon and add to the sauce. If you are not using them right away, you can place them in ice water until cool, remove and toss with a little olive oil, and refrigerate until needed. You can also freeze the raw dough and save it for a rainy day.

For the tomato sauce:

Yield: 4 cups

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium spanish onion, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 piece dried peporoncino, crumbled (or 2 tsp. dried chili flakes)

1 28 oz tin San Marzano tomatoes

2 piece Italian fennel sausage, meat removed from casing

salt to taste

To finish:

1 bunch rapini, seperated into florets and leaves

1 ball of buffalo mozzarella, torn into small pieces

grated parmesan

Method: Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring every now and again, until soft and fragrant (about ten minutes.) Add the sausage and dried chili to the pan, breaking up the meat into nice little pieces. Cook for around five more minutes until the meat is gently browned. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you put them in. On a low heat, cook the sauce for around half an hour, or until thick. Season to taste with salt.

To finish: Heat 2 cups of the sauce in a pan and add the rapini florets and leaves. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add all of the gnocchi to the pan and toss in the sauce for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the buffalo mozzarella.

Stir twice and serve immediately before the cheese gets too gooey. Sprinkle a little grated parmesan over top and enjoy.

Thanks to Mark Roberts and Jen Echols for the beautiful pictures. You make the food look amazing.