Even Better than Delicious

Recipes for the Hardworking

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is actually super easy to make but cleaning potatoes off of every kitchen utensil you own is a pain in the buttocks, and I triple-hate washing dishes. Otherwise I would make it more often. I now only make it if I can coerce some poor sap into washing dishes for me.

4 baking potatoes

2 cups flour

1 egg

boiling salted water

parmesiano reggiano or some other melty delicious cheese

quality olive oil

fleur de sel for the utterly spoiled

maybe a drop of truffle oil if you are so inclined

1. Bake 'em potatoes nice an' ripe!

2. Let them cool off, then gut them (scrape out their insides)

3. Mash the insides or use a ricer, just make sure your potato mush has a smooth, even consistency, or else you will make potato flour egg lumps, not gnocchi.

4. On a flour'd surface, make a flour volcano out of about 1.75 cup of flour and crack an egg into the middle of it. Knead this together, and when somewhat mixed, add your potatoes. Knead this mixture, adding flour if too wet, until a nice dough is formed. DO NOT KNEAD FOR TOO LONG. You want your gnocchi to be somewhat heavy so when they are cooked, they will be creamy in texture.

5. Now make your dough into a long flour snake about .5 inch wide. You can divide it into two parts if your snake is getting out of control. Chop that snake in half! YEAH. 

6. That step was getting out of hand so here's a new one. Chop your snake into nice .5 inch shapes and score those shapes with a fork. This helps your cheese/sauce stay on when you are eating your gnocchi. 

7. Immediately dump your finished gnocchi into your pot of boiling water and let them cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they are bobbing like boiled heads in an ocean of oil. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon, and add some cheese, oils, whatever. Don't add too much though. Eat this immediately and don't leave any leftovers because it won't taste good the next day.

Notes: If you like, you can serve your gnocchi with a light sauce. I recommend either a porcini mushroom or leek reduction sauce to give your gnocchi a slight hint of flavor without overpowering the taste of the gnocchi itself. Perhaps even a small dollop of homemade pesto, but not too much. Don't serve your homemade gnocchi with a strong-flavored sauce because you really want the taste and texture of the gnocchi to stand out. My favorite would be the leek reduction sauce, because it utilizes a technique I call "simmering the shit out of leeks" whereupon one simmers leeks in heavy cream and some olive oil for hours upon hours until the leeks are basically flavorless pieces of fiber and the cream has a delicate aroma of... leeks. Then you throw away your fiber and leave the cream and oil. Wow, I just gave you guys two recipes in one.