Divinely delicious: this secret recipe for gnocchi with sage butter
Lumps in the mashed potatoes, dough that could double as wallpaper paste… Making gnocchi isn’t that easy if you haven’t mastered the art. But once you have, it’s a piece of cake, and you’ll never want anything other than the pebble-like ones from the supermarket again. We apprenticed at Renato’s Osteria, where the chef shared his not-so-secret recipe for fresh gnocchi with sage butter.
Making gnocchi
Although you don’t want any lumps in mashed potatoes, gnocchi are actually named after them. The soft little pillows are typically Italian, although they can be found all over the world under different names (such as dumplings). The Italian version is made with potatoes, flour and egg. And they need nothing more than the simple yet delicious company of sage butter. Although you can vary the basic recipe endlessly, from sauces to ingredients. Renato’s chef Jason Erhardt suggested that you can replace the potato with (or supplement it with) practically any root vegetable. Sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot gnocchi and so on.
How to make the gnocchi
- Boil the potatoes with their skins on until tender. This way they absorb less water, and the skins are easier to remove.
- Remove the skins with your hands while the potatoes are still warm. Press them through a schiacciapatate into a large mixing bowl, or mash them with a masher or fork. The finer, the better, but keep the mash light and airy. Sift the flour over the bowl, add the egg and salt, and mix until combined.
- Sprinkle some flour on the work surface and knead the mixture with regular folding motions into a light ball of dough. Don’t knead for too long, or the dough will become tough.
- Using flat hands, roll the dough into a long rope by moving from the inside out. The thickness is up to you, but it can be up to two centimetres thick. Cut the rope into equal square pillows.
- Now create ridges in the pillows so the sauce adheres well. You can do this by gently pressing them with a fork until they have stripes, or by using a gnocchi board. Sprinkle the gnocchi with a little flour or semolina to prevent them from sticking, and let them rest for a while.
How to make the fried gnocchi with sage butter
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi.
- As soon as the water boils, heat a frying pan over low heat. Add the butter and sage.
- After about a minute, scoop the gnocchi out of the pan. They are cooked as soon as they start to float. Fry the gnocchi in the pan with the butter for two minutes, until the butter starts to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and serve the gnocchi with Parmesan cheese.
Extra handy tips
The schiacciapatate is a potato ricer that belongs in every nonna’s standard kitchen equipment. You can get a schiacciapatate here for €13.25. The gnocchi board is a handy gadget that you roll the pieces of dough over, giving you photogenic little rolls instead of square pillows. It also works well for various types of pasta. You can buy a gnocchi board here for €12.95.
Source: Italiamo
Also read:
- Homemade garlic butter is insanely delicious and so easy to make yourself
- Look no further, this is the most delicious butter
- Recipe: cheese tortellini with garlic butter sauce
