Okay. I just had the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life. Really. No hyperbole, no exaggeration. Perfect pillows of flavor nestled in pesto.

O.M.G.

A dear friend of ours called him yesterday wanting a bit of gnocchi advice. Susan was attempting gnocchi for the first time and nailed it on her first try! We have very talented friends.

gnocchi

If your dough is right, the actual forming of the gnocchi isn’t really difficult – it’s just really tedious. Each one of those things is individually made. Every one.

Because I was working late, today, Victor was going to make dinner. Susan made gnocchi. He got the bug. Victor made gnocchi.

He’s has been working on this recipe for a while and, tonight, he perfected it. Totally perfected it. I only stopped eating because there was nothing left to eat.

Perfect pillows of flavor…

Roasted Garlic Potato Gnocchi

  • 2 cups potatoes, riced
  • 1 head garlic, roasted
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper

Roast garlic head for an hour. Cool.

Bake potatoes. Cool for 20 minutes. Rice potatoes and garlic together onto a sheet pan and cool to room temperature.

Mix potatoes/garlic, flour, cheese, and egg, along with salt and pepper, to taste. Only work until everything comes together. Don’t over mix – they’ll get tough.

Cover the dough and let relax for about 30 minutes. Longer is okay, but not all day okay.

Cut off a piece of dough and roll into a rope. Cut into 1″ or so pieces and roll off the times of a fork – or, better yet, a gnocchi board – to form.

Cook in batches in boiling – but not heavily boiling – salted water for just a minute or two. There are a lot of variables, so test one after a minute and a half.

Top with your favorite sauce.

Perfect pillows of flavor.

The pesto was the perfect choice for a sauce, as well. Anything would work – a red sauce would be fine, browned butter would work. But the pesto and the subtleness of the  roasted garlic was a perfect marriage.

There were fried long hot peppers and stuffed olives to much on and mix in.

My stomach is smiling!