Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage Sauce
Viking Cooking School SLC
This recipe came from one of our Cooking Instructors, Trish Withus. She is a native New Yorker and knows her Italian....she actually makes this recipe gluten free (using tapioca flour). Those who choose to use tapioca or an alternative flour start with only 3/4 cups and go from there.
Ingredients:
Gnocchi:
1 3/4 lbs baking potatoes, preferably Russet.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (optional) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Brown Butter and Sage Sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Pierce potatoes in several spots with a fork. Bake directly on the center rack until tender when pieced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, depending on the size of your potatoes. Remove to a wire rack and let stand until cook enough to handle, 15 to 20 minutes.
Scoop the insides out of the potato skins and push through a potatoes ricer fitted with a fine disc onto a clean counter (or into a bowl). Add in 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt, nutmeg and cheese. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly until it is soft, pliable and just a bit sticky. Don't over-knead the dough. Put the dough into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
To shape the gnocchi:
Cut the chilled gnocchi dough into 5 pieces. Dust each piece and the work surface with the remaining flour. Roll each piece of dough into a 3/4 inch thick rope and cut each rope into 1/2 inch pieces. Using the back side of a fork, roll the doug up the fork while gently pressing down with your finger creating a dent in the gnocchi. Place each finished gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet, making sure they don't touch. Refrigerate the gnocchi until you're ready to cook them.
To cook the gnocchi:
In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to boil, Cook the gnocchi 1/4 at a time. The gnocchi will fall to the bottom of the pot when dropped into the water. As they begin to cook they will rise to the top, about 2 minutes. Cook for 2 more minutes and remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl or baking sheet...or directly into the Sage Sauce.
For the Sauce:
Place all the sauce ingredients except the cheese in a large saute pan set on medium-low heat. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
Gently a add the gnocchi to the sauce in the pan. Toss the gnocchi in the sauce over medium heat for 3 minutes. Spoon the gnocchi into serving dishes and top each with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese. Pour any sage butter remaining in the saute pan over the gnocchi.
Enjoy!
