Little Clouds of Potato Happiness

The trouble with eating your first gnocchi, or more specifically gnocchi ala Romana in Italy, is that everything you try when you come back to the States largely pales in comparison. It has been more than a decade since I devoured this treat in Trastevere on a regular basis, but it is a taste that lingers. I occasionally find myself duped into picking up an allegedly primo brand of dried gnocchi at a specialty store or event splurging at the pasta counter at Whole Foods. However, they all disappoint. Whether dressed in a vodka sauce, bolognese, or simple tomato sauce they never live up to the food memory.

Emboldened for no good reason other than time, when I came across Cook's Illustrated (tired of me mentioning their recipes yet?) for potato gnocchi with brown butter and sage, I thought why not. This did require me to go out and purchase a potato ricer (takes up less space than the other alternative: a food mill).

The headline? Wow that's a very handy kitchen tool. I have no idea what else I will use it for, but for this recipe it was an imperative. The result was awesome. Full unadulterated food awesomeness. The recipe is shockingly simple and straight forward. The most time intensive piece was rolling out and cutting the pieces, which really wasn't all that long. And their trick for creating the ridges? So simple.

And while this is certainly not a true ala Romana take, it is absolutely fancy dinner party, holiday deliciousness, anytime you need a fix worthy.

Serves 2 to 3 as a main dish, or 4 to 6 as an appetizer

For the most accurate measurements, weigh the potatoes and flour. After processing, you may have slightly more than the 3 cups (16 ounces) of potatoes recquired for this recipe. Discard any extra or set aside for another use.

Ingredients

Gnocchi  

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
• 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salt 

Sauce  

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. FOR THE GNOCCHI: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Poke each potato 8 times with paring knife over entire surface. Microwave potatoes until slightly softened at ends, about 10 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through cooking. Transfer potatoes directly to oven rack and bake until skewer glides easily through flesh and potatoes yield to gentle pressure, 18 to 20 minutes.
2. Holding each potato with potholder or kitchen towel, peel with paring knife. Process potatoes through ricer or food mill onto rimmed baking sheet. Gently spread potatoes into even layer and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer 3 cups (16 ounces) warm potatoes to bowl. Using fork, gently stir in egg until just combined. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon salt over potato mixture. Using fork, gently combine until no pockets of dry flour remain. Press mixture into rough ball, transfer to lightly floured counter, and gently knead until smooth but slightly sticky, about 1 minute, lightly dusting counter with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Lightly dust counter with flour. Gently roll piece of dough into ½-inch-thick rope, dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Cut rope into ¾-inch lengths. Holding fork with tines facing down in 1 hand, press each dough piece cut side down against tines with thumb of other hand to create indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. If dough sticks, dust thumb or fork with flour. Transfer formed gnocchi to sheets and repeat with remaining dough.
5.  FOR THE SAUCE: Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally, until butter is browned and releases nutty aroma, about 11/2 minutes. Off heat, add shallot and sage, stirring until shallot is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and salt; cover to keep warm.
6. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Using parchment paper as sling, gently lower gnocchi from 1 sheet into water and cook until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds (gnocchi should float to surface after about 1 minute). Using slotted spoon, transfer cooked gnocchi to skillet with sauce. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Gently toss gnocchi with sauce and serve.