Okay, now onto the the gnocchi. Gnocchi is naturally my favorite pasta because I freaking love potatoes. Fried, baked, scalloped and now in pasta form? Sign me up! Although the recipe for homemade gnocchi is quite easy, there are a few key steps along the way that are crucial in guaranteeing the perfect taste and texture.
1. You want to start by boiling potatoes with their skins peeled and letting them sit out for a bit once they are finished boiling. The key here is to keep the potatoes as dry as possible before incorporating them into the gnocchi dough so the dough doesn’t become too mushy.
2. Once your potatoes have cooled, the second important trick to perfect gnocchi is to mash them with a fork until they have a consistency similar to cous cous or quinoa. This texture allows the potato to mix evenly with the flour and egg. I’ve tried mashing them beforehand with a hand blender in the past, but the potatoes stick together too much and you end up having uneven lumps of potato and flour throughout your dough.
3. Here comes the fun part. Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and start with mashed potatoes, then add flour and sesame seed mix on top. (This recipe pan fries the gnocchi in a miso butter sauce, which is extremely savory. If you don’t plan on making the miso glaze, make sure to add in a teaspoon of salt to the flour and sesame seed mix for flavor.) Once you’ve laid down your dry ingredients, create a crater in the center (like a volcano) and crack in your egg. Using a fork, slowly whisk the egg in an outward circular motion until a wet dough ball begins to form.
4. Use your hands to knead the dough and add in additional flour as necessary to form a large dough ball. Make sure you set aside only an extra half cup of flour beforehand to use for kneading and rolling. Too much flour will make the gnocchi tough and chewy.
5. Divide gnocchi dough into four or five even pieces. With each piece, roll into a log of 1 inch thickness. Use a dough cutter (I’m not that fancy so I used a spatula :)) to cut log into gnocchi pieces. I like using a fork to create decorative ridges but it’s totally up to you. I just find that the ridges add a little bit more texture and trap sauce a bit better.
6. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in gnocchi. You’ll know they’re ready when they float to the top!
7. Now all that’s left is to make your miso butter sauce, which is basically just melted butter, miso, black pepper and some ground ginger. I’m a sucker for a little crispy sear at the bottom of my gnocchi so I let them sit for 1-2 minutes in the pan before serving.
Ta da! You’ve just made fresh homemade gnocchi! Easy peasy right? The best part is that any uncooked gnocchi will do pretty well in the freezer for several weeks so you can have fresh gnocchi on hand all winter. Bon appetit!
Homemade Miso Sesame Gnocchi
Ingredients
For the gnocchi
- 4 large russet potatoes peeled
- 1 1/2 cup flour + 1/2 cup for working
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
- 1 egg
For the miso sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- green onions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In a pot, bring peeled potatoes to a boil until very soft inside, about 20 minutes. Once they are finished boiling, let them cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Once your potatoes have cooled use a fork to mash the potatoes until they have a consistency similar to cous cous or quinoa.
- To make gnocchi dough, sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and start with mashed potatoes, then add flour and sesame seeds on top. Once you've laid down your dry ingredients, create a crater in the center (like a volcano) and crack in your egg. Using a fork, slowly whisk the egg in an outward circular motion until a wet dough ball begins to form.
- Use your hands to knead the dough and add in additional flour as necessary to form a large dough ball.
- Divide gnocchi dough into four or five even pieces. With each piece, roll into a log of 1 inch thickness. Use a dough cutter to cut log into gnocchi pieces. Use a fork to create ridges in gnocchi (optional).
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in gnocchi. Strain gnocci when they float to the top of the pot, about 2-4 minutes.
- In a large skillet, melt butter, miso, black pepper and ground ginger until a thick brown sauce forms. Add in cooked gnocchi and saute for 5-10 minutes, depending on how charred you prefer your gnocchi. Garnish with green onions and serve.
