gnocchi with browned butter and sage
If you are a pasta lover you will love these fluffy, chewy pillows coated with browned butter sauce! The flavor and texture of gnocchi is very similar to pasta, but they are actually dumplings made out of potatoes. Italians dedicated Thursday as gnocchi day during the Second World War in their proverb “gnocchi on Thursday, fish on Friday, tripe on Saturday”. The hearty meal was meant to prepare people for the Friday fast.
History of Gnocchi
Before getting to the recipe let’s take this back to Italy for a quick history snippet! As I mentioned before the Romans had dedicated Thursdays for gnocchi, though back then they were mainly made from semolina flour instead of potatoes. Being inexpensive to make, easy and filling the dish quickly became a peasant delicacy in the regions the Roman empire had conquered. Surprisingly, gnocchi had a windy road to the now common potatoes. At first people experimented with semolina flour and eggs, then squash and breadcrumbs became a common way of preparing it. Later on in the 16th century when potatoes were introduced to Europe making gnocchi with cheese and potatoes became popular. The potato gnocchi originates in northern Italy which has more ideal climate for growing potatoes.
How to make gnocchi?
Now let’s get started with the gnocchi! First, preheat your oven to 350f. Scrub and pat dry the potatoes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes until tender. Let the potatoes slightly cool and peel them. Discard the peels and transfer to food professor and blend until smooth. Add the eggs and season generously with salt. Blend until the texture is uniform. Transfer the dough into a large bowl and knead in 1/2 cup of flour. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Then dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour and roll the dough pieces into apprx. 20cm long 2cm thick logs. Cut the logs into 3cm long pieces. Then roll each into a little ball with your hands, and using a fork roll each piece against the counter top to create indents. Bring water to boil in a large pot and salt it. Then working in two batches, boil the gnocchi for about 2 minutes until they float on top. While each batch is boiling make the browned butter sauce. Melt 4tbsp of butter in a large sauce pan and add a handful of ripped sage and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the butter is brown. Add 1/4 cup off the gnocchi boiling water and bring to boil. Add the gnocchi in the sauce and cook for a minute. For serving, top each portion with freshly shredded Parmesan and nutmeg.
Tips
Rolling the dumplings with a fork may seem random but there is actually a purpose behind it - the little wedges will help more sauce cling to the gnocchi. This recipe is not limited to working with russet potatoes - for a delicious twist try swapping the russets for sweet potatoes!
Do not overcook the gnocchi - once they float on top they are cooked.
Recommended products to make this recipe
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