Gnocchi (with leftover mashed potatoes)
Got extra mashed potatoes on hand and can’t figure out what to do with them all? Try our easy and quick homemade gnocchi! Easily made gluten free. I’ve included two great sauces as well!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes work great, too!)
2 cups flour (gluten free if you prefer)
2 eggs
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions:
Lightly flour a large baking sheet and set aside.
Mix potatoes, eggs and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing in between. You may not need exactly a cup to get the right consistency so adding little by little helps. You are looking for a smooth texture that’s not tacky but also not too floury.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts in your bowl. Take one part at a time and roll out on a floured surface. Roll into a long ripe, roughly 1” thick.
Once rolled into a long rope, using a pastry cutter or knife, cut into small pieces, roughly 1/2” wide. Place cut pieces on floured baking sheet. Repeat with rest of mixture until you have all gnocchi rolled and cut.
If you want to get a little fancier, you can roll your cut gnocchi down the backside of a fork’s tines or a gnocchi board to get ridges. You can also easily skip this step as well.
Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt water with 1 tsp kosher salt.
Once boiling, add gnocchi to water and cook for 3-4 minutes or until gnocchi floats to the top. Remove from water with slotted spoon and place in serving bowl. I like to work in batches so gnocchi doesn’t stick together.
Work quickly at this point so as gnocchi doesn’t become gummy.
Pour prepared sauce over gnocchi and serve with grated Parmesan. See below for Basil Pesto or Pistachio cream sauce.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil, stems removed
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
¾ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup nuts of choice (I like to use pine nuts or slivered almonds; ensure nuts are unsalted and can be roasted)
¼ cup to 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup to ¾ cup olive oil
Directions:
Place all ingredients except olive oil in Cuisinart or blender. Begin to blend and drizzle olive oil into blender while going to emulsify. Adjust level of olive oil needed to drive desired consistency. Serve tossed on pasta or use as base sauce on grilled pizza crust.
Pistachio Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
5-6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Directions:
In a small skillet, heat pistachios over high heat. Move around often, ensuring they don’t burn. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. You should start to smell the nuttiness once they are ready to go. Remove pistachios from heat.
Combine pistachios, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a food processor. Do not blend yet. Using the same skillet previously used for the nuts, heat butter over high heat. Butter should quickly melt. Let it brown slightly but don’t let it burn. Once melted and slightly browned, add butter to food processor with ingredients already included.
Blend until well combined and no large pieces of nuts remain. While blending, stream in a few tablespoons of olive oil and help with consistency.
Remove pistachios from heat. Combine pistachios, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a food processor. Do not blend yet. Using the same skillet, heat butter over high heat. Butter should quickly melt. Let it brown slightly but don’t let it burn. Once melted and slightly browned, add butter to food processor with ingredients already included. Blend until well processed and no large pieces of nuts remain. While blending, stream in a few tablespoons of olive oil and help with consistency.
Remove pistachio mixture from food processor. Return to your skillet and add pistachio mixture with heavy cream over medium heat. Whisk consistently until creamy and thick. Be careful to not cook too long or mixture will become quite thick. Once you notice a sauce-like consistency, turn off heat.
Remove pistachio mixture from food processor. Return to your skillet and add pistachio mixture with heavy cream over medium heat. Whisk consistently until creamy and thick. Be careful to not cook too long or mixture will become quite thick. Once you notice a sauce-like consistency, turn off heat.