Kitchen Fundamentals: Potato Gnocchi

Overview

These little bundles of joy marry two of everyone’s favourite things: potatoes and pasta.

Pasta made with potatoes? How could that not be good?

The best part about gnocchi - you can do whatever you want with them! Skip that classic red tomato sauce and try something new. In the picture above, we serve gnocchi with a pan-seared black cod, white wine braised clams, and a parsley-garlic sauce. It was a fun and different take on gnocchi that ended up being a smash hit.

Skip that store bought gnocchi and make it yourself! Its literally three ingredients and some love.

Sugar Loaf Sauvignon Blanc

Wine Pairing

Gnocchi is a really exciting dish because you can finish it with so many different sauce types and styles. I will walk you through a few different variations of wine pairings based on their sauce type, and then give you our top pick for the sauce style we have used for our personal recipe.

Red and Rose sauces, classics for any pasta type, pairs really well with high acidity wines with fresh red fruits. The classic wine pairing for this style is always a Chianti. However, a predominantly sangiovese based blend also works well here. I implore you to explore the category called “Super Tuscans” (Italian red wine blends), as these can be really exciting to mix it up and try something different from the classic Chianti.

Pesto and cream sauces typically require a white wine. A bright and crisp pinot grigio works best, as does the lesser-known Gavi wines. You can also pair a classic Chablis or even a bright and crisp sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. These wines are know for their primary flavors of lemon, green apple, and florals which work well with this sauce type.

In our case here, we have finished our gnocchi with a parsley-garlic sauce. A unique sauce like this requires a unique wine to match. In our case, we broke the stereotypical rules and paired this with an a-typical examples of sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. This wine is bursting with flavors of citrus, apples, and a surprising note of ripe peaches. This ended up working extremely well. If you’re interested in learning more about this wine, you can find more information and tasting notes here.

Ingredients (~40-50 Pieces)

• ~2-3 russet potatoes, rinsed, skins on

  • You can use different varieties of potatoes

  • This could come to about 2-2.5 cups of potatoes

  • Ideally, a more precise measurement would be 500g or 18oz of potatoes

• ~1 cup of flour (plus more for dusting)

  • Ideally, a more precise measurement would be 130g of flour

• 1 egg

• Equipment: A potato ricer

  • What is a potato ricer you ask? Check out the picture below.

  • It looks like a giant garlic press that, instead, pressed potatoes into smaller pieces.

  • When making gnocchi, its important to avoid damaging the potato cells. If you mix it, like mashed potatoes, it’ll release gluey starch that’ll ruin the texture of the gnocchi.

  • Alternatively, you can use a fine mesh sieve and push the potatoes through the sieve for a similar effect. However, the potatoes will be hot (just boiled) and be careful to not burn your hands.

Steps

• Boil the 2-3 Potatoes

  • Bring a large pot filled with water up to a boil. Salt the water well.

  • Remember to leave the skins on, this keeps the potatoes drier.

  • When you can EASILY push a fork through the larger potatoes in the pot, they are done.

  • Drain and rest on the side.

• Peel the 2-3 Potatoes

  • The potatoes should be cooked well enough that the skin is easy to peel off.

    • I did it with a fork.

  • Once all potatoes are peeled, push through the potato ricer.

  • Let the potatoes cool off to room temperature.

• Mix Away

  • Add 1 cup (180g) of flour and 1 egg to every 2-2.5cups of potato.

  • Knead with your hands until a smooth dough starts to form.

    • Gnocchi dough should be a little sticky, keep extra flour for dusting on the side.

• Roll Out the Dough

  • Roll the dough out into a long cylinder using your hands on a flour-dusted surface.

    • The thinner you roll, the ‘finer’ your gnocchi will be.

    • Sizing is a preference, choose for yourself!

• Cut and Store

  • I cut the gnocchi about 1 inch apart.

  • Transfer to a floured baking sheet and set side for when you want it.

    • Best cooked the same day (right away!)

  • Freeze the extra gnocchi as you see fit!