This is what I asked myself after going through many recipes for homemade gnocchi which usually call for the peeled potatoes to go through a ricer. I decided to try to use my good ol' fashioned grater and see if I could get the job done.
Ingredients for the gnocchi:
2 pounds Yukon potatoes
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten.
Ingredients for the Gorgonzola mushroom sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup homemade or store bought vegetable stock
4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese
1 pinch of nutmeg
Coarse salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces of fresh mushrooms, cremini and portobello work best
Directions to make gnocchi
1. Preheat oven to 499 degrees. Prick all potatoes all over with a fork and place them on a baking sheet to bake for 45min to 1 hr. Halfway through bake time, shake the pan or turn the potatoes over.
2. After the potatoes cool, peel the skin off lightly to not mush the potatoes
Grate them through the largest holes of a grater into a large bowl.
3. Add lightly beaten egg and salt to the potatoes and mix well with a large spoon.
4. Add the flour a little at a time, using just enough to where your hands don't stick. After the flour has been added, bring the dough together with your fingers.
5. Put the dough on a floured surface. Knead dough by pressing down with the heel of your hand, fold over, make a quarter turn, repeat for 3 or 4 minutes. Just like making bread!
6. Form the dough into a ball then divide into 6 smaller balls. Roll out the balls individually into long ropes- about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.
7. Traditional gnocchi has ridges so get out your fork and start marking the sides. I'm pretty sure I didn't do it right but they look pretty cute.
8.place the gnocchi onto a floured parchment dish. If you want to freeze them later, put the dish into a freezer bag where they won't all stick together
9. To cook gnocchi, boil water with salt. Place gnocchi in and they should rise. Leave them for one minute and remove.
To make the sauce:
1. Bring cream and stock to a boil over medium to high heat. Reduce heat and let mixture thicken for about 10 minutes. Add Gorgonzola, stir until melted. Season with pepper and salt. Remove from heat and cover.
2. Remove the stem from mushrooms and coarsely chop. Heat oil on a large skilled over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms and cook, stir occasionally for about 4 minutes. Add gnocchi, cook and stir gently until heated through. Pour cheese sauce over gnocchi and toss to coat evenly.
Serve immediately!
