Gnocchi

One of the reasons I started a food blog was because I so enjoy reading food blogs. I frequently visit all kinds of folks on the web whose writing and photography skills I can't even touch. But it gives me something to aspire to, along with some really great recipes.

I've been spending a lot of time at Smitten Kitchen lately. The Lighter than Air Chocolate Cake was such a spectacular success at our seder that the author now has a fan for life. She recently posted about making gnocchi which I've tried a time or two, with entirely disastrous results so I was interested in her technique which, while simple, was right on and made for a lovely meal.

Past gnocchi attempts have always started with boiled potatoes, leading to unsurprisingly soggy results. This recipe uses grated baked baked potatoes which make for a lighter dough. Making the gnocchi is one of those easy but time consuming projects. The gnocchi are made up simply of the grated baked potatoes, egg, and enough flour to make up a workable mass of dough. Rolled into long "snakes" and cut into bite-sized bits, they are then decorated with the tines of a fork.

I found the fork decoration a bit challenging and my gnocchi were in no way uniform. The second batch I made came out prettier. After dumping the leftover challah glazing egg into the mixing bowl, I think the higher egg content made them easier to work.

I made up two batches: one with pesto and another with a bit of butter and Parmesan for the kids who hoovered them all down with nary a trace remaining. I am now interested in pursuing other gnocchi possibilities. I've heard of (but never tried) ricotta gnocchi which sound lovely. Or perhaps something made with winter squash and sage? I'll definitely have to look into this further now that I know I have the potential to make something edible.

My thanks to Smitten Kitchen for helping me overcome the trauma of prior gnocchi!