Gnocchi with Browned Butter & Sage
Gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi! For the uninitiated, Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling which is made out of just 4 ingredients: Potato’s, Flour, Egg, and Salt. These soft and savory pillows of goodness never disappoint, and I always end up wanting more! For this recipe I browned butter (essentially cooked butter on low heat until the water evaporates to leave you with a browned pan of gold) and tossed in some sage to add some more lovely flavor!
This recipe does take a bit of time (1.5-2 hours) so I would recommend that you get your mise-en-place (fancy French term meaning cut/peel/prepare all ingredients before starting cooking) ready first.
Ingredients:
I normally don’t give a strict ingredients list, but the dough requires somewhat precise measurements.
3 large potatoes, or 6 small potatoes
1 whole egg
2 cups plain white flour
3 tablespoons salt
1 stick of butter (I know this seems like a lot but it will reduce, and you don’t have to use all of it.)
Hand full of fresh Sage Leaves
Instructions:
Gnocchi
Wash your potatoes and throw into a big pot of boiling water. All of the potatoes should be submerged in the water. Make sure to SALT you water with at least 4 table spoons of salt.
Once the potatoes are fully cooked through, remove from the water and peel. If using large potatoes this may take longer. A sharp knife should be able to pierce the potato with little to no resistance.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the potatoes through a potato ricer to get a really smooth consistency. You can just mash with a big spoon or potato masher, just make sure that the potatoes are very smooth and no lumps remain.
Crack 1 egg into the potatoes. Optionally you can beat the egg before putting in.
Pour 2 cups of plain white flour into the bowl.
Pour in about 3 tablespoons of kosher salt. I do this by eye, doesn’t have to be exact.
Mix the potatoes, egg, flour, and salt in the bowl until it mostly comes together. (3-5 minutes)
Dump the dough onto a clean table, covered in flour, and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth. If the dough feels too wet, add 1 big tablespoon of flour at a time until it is not sticky.
After 10 minutes of kneading let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Cover with a damp paper towel so it doesn’t dry out.
Take half the dough and roll out into a long rope which is about 1 inch thick.
Evenly cut the dough into 1 inch segments and boil in the same salted water as the potatoes. Cook until the Gnocchi float to the top.
Drop the Gnocchi into the pan with the browned butter and sage and cook on medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Brown Butter & Sage Sauce
Take a full stick of butter and melt on a pan at low heat.
Let the butter cook until there is a some foam on top and the color darkens to nice brown color. About 10 minutes. Move the butter around with a spoon so you can see the color.
Optional: I finely diced 1 shallot and 3 cloves of garlic which I added to my browned butter for more flavor.
30 seconds before you toss in the Gnocchi, add in 5-6 pieces of fresh sage to the browned butter. The sage will pop, especially if the sage is wet, just a warning, be prepared :)
Toss in the cooked Gnocchi into the pan with the browned butter sauce.. Cook together on medium-high heat for an additional 3-4 minutes so the Gnocchi can absorb the sauce.
To Serve
Plate in a bowl with the desired number of Gnocchi and Browned Butter (have I said browned butter enough times?)
Top with fresh cracked black pepper and freshly grated parmegiano (parmesan cheese).
Enjoy!
-D