Gnocchi

The first time I ever ate gnocchi is one of the most memorable meals of my life. The Mister and I had just moved to New York City, had just moved into our first apartment, and were getting used to our new lives. His parents had come out for a wedding and we went out to dinner with them and his cousins at this little Italian bistro in Brooklyn. It was a beautiful June night and we sat on the patio and talked and drank wine and had a great time. And I ordered gnocchi.

I've spent the two years since that night (two years! holy crap!) working on making gnocchi as light and airy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious as the ones I tasted that night. So far, I haven't gotten it right, but this recipe is the closest I've gotten. I've found that baking the potatoes is the only way to cook them - boiling, while faster, doesn't yield the same fluffy results. I don't have a potato ricer so I've used a hand mixer almost every time with great results.


Gnocchi

Adapted from here

8 medium Russet Potatoes

2 eggs - beaten
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano - Grated
3-5 cups of flour
handful of fresh basil leaves - roughly chopped
salt/pepper


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes into the oven and bake for until fork tender. Rest until cool enough to work with them and then remove skins. Mash with a hand mixer.

Transfer the potatoes to a clean, lightly floured surface and add the eggs, Parmigiano, a pinch of salt, and 1 cup of flour. Begin kneading together, adding more dough until you have a ball of dough.

Cut the dough into small manageable sections and roll each of the sections into logs. Cut the logs into small 1″ sections.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, place the gnocchi into the water and allow them to cook until they rise to the top and swell up.

When gnocchi are done. Transfer them with a slotted spoon into the sauce pan, toss gently with sauce to combine. Garnish with additional basil and Parmigiano Reggiano if desired.