Love, Labor, Gnocchi

          I celebrated this Labor Day weekend, rather appropriately, by happily laboring in the kitchen. Well, I worked my normal hours at two jobs, I just spent extra time at the stove too. It started with two dozen strawberry muffins for breakfast (for the Inn guests, not myself), a batch of lemon curd squares with a coconut and walnut crumble topping (also for guests), and ended with a single serving of potato gnocchi. It might seem like a lot of work to make gnocchi for one, but it's Labor Day, and the extra work was well worth the delicious finish.
          To make my single serving, one potato gnocchi, I went back to the basics and cracked open my copy of The Joy of Cooking. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of potatoes, and suggests you bake them, but I cut the portions, and boiled the potato instead, then I tossed the gnocchi with olive oil, salt and pepper, and Thai basil. Simple. Scrumptious.

Potato Gnocchi

2 pounds potatoes
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Melted butter or olive oil for finishing

Boil the potatoes, skin still on, until tender (about 45 minutes). 

While still hot, peel away and discard the skin and then push the pulp through a potato ricer or force through a sieve with the back of a spoon.

Combine the riced potato pulp with the other ingredients and stir until well combined.

Then turn out the dough onto a work surface and knead until completely smooth and entirely blended. Meanwhile, bring 3 to 4 inches of well-salted water to a simmer in a large pot. 

Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of the dough, roll it into a 3/4 inch thick rope, and then cut into 3/4 inch thick pieces. Test these gnocchi by dropping them into the water and cooking just until they float (likely less than 2 minutes). They should hold a firm shape but be chewy to the bite. If the test gnocchi are too soft or loose, knead into your dough up to 3 tablespoons of flour, or a bit of beaten egg. Retest. When you are confident you have the right texture, roll all the dough into several 3/4 inch ropes, cut into 3/4 inch pieces, and allow the gnocchi to sit on a lightly floured baking sheet or platter. 

Drop the gnocchi into the simmering water, making sure to cook only about 1/3 of the batch each time. If the gnocchi are crowded in the pot, they won't cook properly. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon once they rise to the surface of the water. Don't overcook. The beauty of the gnocchi is that they tell you when they're ready. It might only take a minute for the gnocchi to rise, but trust the little dough balls, they know when it's time. Sprinkle with butter or olive oil, or toss with your favorite sauce. 

          To make gnocchi ahead of time, simply refrigerate pre-cut but uncooked gnocchi on the lightly flowered cookie sheet, covered with plastic. They can be kept this way for up to 12 hours. To keep them even longer, chill until hard and then transfer to a freezer bag. Frozen gnocchi will hold for up to 1 month and should be cooked directly from the freezer, no thawing required.
          The first test demonstrated that my dough was still a bit too soft, but adding just a pinch more flour did the trick, and I never had to resort to the egg. I just tossed mine with some simple ingredients this evening because I was eager to let the texture of the dish shine through, but next time I think a bolognese sauce, or perhaps some roasted vegetables will be a wonderful compliment to the dish. The flavor was good, the nutmeg was an unexpected treat, adding just a little earthy bite, but I am also tempted to incorporate some fresh herbs into my next batch too. And I do need to work on making the gnocchi a bit prettier next time...the Joy outlines a technique for making precious little ridges in the dough balls with the tines of a fork. So many more opportunities to explore, but for now, I am simply thrilled that the work paid off; unlike my ramen gnocchi catastrophe, this evening's dinner was a success, and a true testament to the fact that even though you may eat alone, your dinner can still be wonderfully crafted.

Ok, I actually did have a dining partner this evening --Murphy the dog-- but his meal was significantly less labor intensive.