Today's Special: Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi have taken their place amongst gourmet foodies as their pasta of choice and, believe it or not, they are not difficult to make. The key to these "pillow soft" gnocchi is to knead the dough as least as possible so that they do not become tough and "gluey".

This recipe comes courtesy of Saveur Magazine and are the brain-child of chef Barbara Lynch of Sportello Restaurant in Boston.

FOR THE GNOCCHI:
1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2), unpeeled
1 1⁄4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
3⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. truffle oil
1 egg, beaten

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. (I used 3 potatoes, as they weren't large in size)


Drain the potatoes and set aside to slightly cool.


The potatoes will be soft enough to peel the skin off easily.

The recipe called for the potatoes to be worked through a "food mill or a potato ricer", but I used my food processor, being careful not to "over process", then transfer onto a floured surface.

Sprinkle the flour and salt over the potatoes and mix together with hands.

Forming a mound with the dough, create a well in the center.

Add the truffle oil and the egg into the well.

Gently knead the dough together to combine, adding a small amount of flour when dough becomes sticky, until your dough is complete. Do not over knead.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll the dough to a 1/2" thick and cut into 1/2" wide strips. Roll the strips between your hands and the floured surface to form ropes, then cut the ropes into 1" pieces.

Working with one piece at a time, roll it down the back of a small fork so that the tines of the fork make ridges on the surface of the dough. This is important to help the sauce "cling" to the cooked gnocchi. Transfer rolled gnocchi to the floured baking sheet. When complete, cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi cooking until they float; about 2 minutes.

Barbara's wonderful recipe calls for a delectable cream sauce with green peas and Chanterelle mushrooms (which I bought) and I HIGHLY recommend (see recipe link above), but of course, the crew at my house put the kibosh on the sauce the second they heard the ingredients. I had to go for my quick, famous old stand by, marinara sauce.

Gnocchi is so delicious, it can be served with any type of sauce; bolognese, marinara, pesto, pomodoro or whatever you like.

I chose a quick marinara so that everyone would be happy.

If everything goes as planned your dinner should look like this:

And if you are as good a chef as I think you are, when dinner is over your dish should look like this:

Thank you to Saveur Magazine and Sportello's Chef Barbara Lynch for the recipe for gnocchi-my favorite pasta. Rest assured, I will complete the recipe the way it was intended to be served eventually.

Better yet, I will take a road trip soon to experience your dish at Sportello and to thank you personally.

Good luck bloggers! Bon Appetit!