Gnocchi smackdown

One thing is for certain. After the week I've had, I'm going to need to spend a LOT of time at bootcamp to make up for my decadent behavior. And I can also say this: It was WORTH EVERY BITE!

After our Saturday night extravaganza, Borgo and I decided to move full steam ahead with our comparative gnocchi tasting on Sunday. We narrowed the options to 3 recipes: traditional gnocchi with a rosemary infused tomato/gorgonzola sauce (one of Borgo’s specialties!), meyer lemon gnocchi (still trying to use up all of our lemons) and a variation on the meyer gnocchi – with ground veal cooked down with sage, rosemary, butter and milk.

Again - can you feel the amount of sit-ups I have ahead of me?!

In the end, they all rocked in their own special way, but my heart is partial to the lemon recipe. It was simple, light and refreshing. Really -  just stunning. Browning the gnocchi is key. Oh – and the chives are everything. I will say - you just have to "buttati" (that would be Italian for "throw yourself in") and not think about the butter. Just put on your running shoes and do a couple of extra laps around the neighborhood. That's my plan anyway.

Here's the recipe: 

Meyer Lemon Gnocchi

1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 large egg yolks

finely grated zest of 2 Meyer lemons (more to taste!)

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock (preferably homemade)

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

snipped chives for garnish   

In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes, bring to boil, simmer until they are tender (8 min). Drain. Return to pan, shake over moderately high heat until dry.

Rice the hot potatoes in an even layer into a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, zest, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and salt. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle flour over potatoes and stir gently just until dough forms. The dough will be very moist – so don’t panic. Too much flour and the gnocchi lose their “pillowy-ness”

Put a large pot of salted water to boil on your stove.

Roll dough into ropes and make the gnocchi. Set completed gnocchi aside on a lightly floured baking sheet. Shake pan frequently to keep gnocchi from sticking.

Bring stock to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in 1 stick of butter (bits at a time) until creamy. Warm sauce on low heat if needed. Stir in lemon juice. Season with salt.

Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain. Toss w/ Olive oil. Transfer to baking sheet to cool.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large non-stick skillet. Make sure the skillet is really hot before you add the butter or the gnocchi. Add 1/2 the gnocchi and cook on high heat until brown on the bottom (2 min). Set batch aside in a warm bowl and repeat until rest of gnocchi are browned.

Reheat sauce. Pour over gnocchi and toss gently. Garnish with chives and more freshly grated zest.