Mid October and we haven’t had steady rain in months now. Today it decided to rain cats & dogs all day so I was finally in the mood to make something that was warming and comforting.
Gnocchi are one of those simple, completely satisfying things that I make on a regular basis, especially after I learned how easy it was to make them. You can boil the potatoes the night before, take off the skins then let them sit until the next day when you will put them through a ricer and eventually combine them with an egg and flour. This whole process only takes a half an hour.
I had two leeks sitting in my fridge leftover from some red kuri squash soup that I made last week and thought that they go well with potatoes so I made them into a creamy sauce (picking some of the last cold hearty herbs I have outside in my container garden – rosemary & sage). With the addition of garlic, olive oil and butter, the sauce transformed into a luxurious condiment for my gnocchi. Andrea said it was one of the best things he had ever eaten (people that know him know thats a rare statement).
Potato Gnocchi with Creamy Leek Sauce
4-6
servings1
hour10
minutesIngredients
2 leeks
3 large russet potatoes
5 of sage leaves
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons of butter
all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup beef broth
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Parmigiano & pecorino romano mix (for topping)
Directions
- Place the potatoes in a pot big enough to cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until fork tender (about 20 minutes).
- Pour potatoes into a colander and allow to cool. Meanwhile make make the leek sauce.
- Leek Sauce
- Cut two leeks, removing the bottom and dark green parts on the top. Place the cut round slices into a bowl of water so that you can remove the dirt in between the rings. Drain and add into the pot that you cooked the potatoes in (I do this so I don’t have a million pots to clean).
- Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 smashed garlic cloves, leeks, sautee until translucent adding the sage and rosemary to flavor the leeks. After about 10 minutes add 2 tablespoons of butter, allow to melt in then about a half a cup of beef broth. Cook down a bit then blend with immersion blender in a deep lower cup so that it doesn’t splatter everywhere.
- Gnocchi
- Once cooled, remove the skins from the potatoes and place potatoes through a ricer into a bowl.
- Pour the potatoes on the counter that has been dusted with flour. Make a well in the center then crack one egg into the riced potatoes, then just enough flour to make the mixture come together (start with a handful). You can feel this with your hands. The less flour the better, so try to mix with your hand until you can form a ball.
- Sprinkle more flour on the counter, divide the large ball into smaller workable balls than you can roll out into long rolls. Cut the rolls with a butter knife or bench scraper. Place the cut gnocchi onto a floured baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch because they will stick together. Continue this process until you have used all the dough.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, don’t add too many at a time, but enough to fill the pot. Wait until they float to the top to remove them into a dish. I usually start placing the gnocchi into a glass tupperware container first because I know the 2 of us will not eat the entire batch at one sitting. Continue with the rest, ending in the bowl you will eat out of.
- Top with the warmed creamy keep sauce and top with a handful of the parmigiano and pecorino romano mixture. Enjoy!
