Comments on: gnocchi with a grater

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:53 +0000

wow – these gnocchi were AMAZING. Better than I have had in any restaurant. I browned them in butter after boiling them and they developed an amazing thin and crispy crust like a potsticker. PS – I make so many things from this site – whenever I tell my kids I am trying out a new recipe, they say “smitten kitchen” and I say “of course”.

By: deb

deb — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:03:56 +0000

Probably. It’s hard for me to understand why it would be chunky. Try again, I think you’ll find it easier with with fully cooked potatoes.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:25:29 +0000

Fail! I came away with a sticky, chunky mess. I think I went wrong in not cooking the potatoes long enough as they released a tremendous amount of moisture which contributed to both the stickiness and chunkiness. Does that sound right? Would you say making sure the potatoes are cooked through and dried out is one of the most important steps?

By: melissa

melissa — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 04:51:02 +0000

oh, my, god. i’ve never made gnocchi before, but i think i’ve just hit nirvana. i didn’t quite follow your recipe–i started with 2lbs of russets, baked them, put them through a ricer right away, let them cool, sprinkled on salt and drizzled on the beaten egg, tossed, and then worked in about half a cup of all-purpose flower with a scraper. i found that the dough came together then without sticking, and was a bit freaked out because i figured i needed more! i didn’t knead at all, figuring that would compress the dough–i just gathered it into a ball and rolled and shaped. i did add a bit more flour to half the dough just in case, but definitely didn’t use more than 3/4 cup. the gnocchi cooked in no time at all and i took them out as soon as they floated up. they didn’t fall apart and turned out so light as to be almost nonexistent! once they cooled a bit they firmed a little, which i liked. i ate some with puttanesca sauce. BUT……….. the real revelation was when i sauteed some of them for a couple minutes (RAW, not boiled!!) in brown butter with some dried sage leaves thrown in. holy moly. i may pass out from joy.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:17:27 +0000

I am a Gnocchi Failure, but my friend just tried and suggested your recipe so maybe I’ll try again. What I am really after is a mizythra sauce that a local italian restaurant serves with its gnocchi. It’s the only reason I want the gnocchi, as a mizythra vehicle. I guess I’ll search for that now.

By: PJ

PJ — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:14:33 +0000

OK, then! I’m a big fan of King Arthur Flour’s “Perfect Pasta” blend, which I use for both pasta and gnocchi. They also sell a little gnocchi board for rolling out gnocchi with finer grooves than you get with a fork: you roll the cut gnocchi dough on the board and jab it with your thumb as you finish, giving it both groove (which picks up and holds your sauce) and a dimple (which makes it cook quicker and more evenly). Yet another kitchen gadget, I know–and my son mocks me for it every time I use it, though it doesn’t seem to diminish his appetite for the gnocchi–but it’s made of maple and is a rather handsome item just on its own.

By: deb

deb — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:16:46 +0000

PJ — Feel free to share the brand! (Sometimes, product mentions are indeed left by companies wishing to advertise, and I try to fish them out. But good suggestions are good suggestions.)

By: PJ

PJ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:21:04 +0000

I know it’s verboten to plug a specific product, so I’ll just observe that I have found using a blended pasta flour that includes semolina and durum as well as all-purpose flour provides a nice “toothiness” to my gnocchi: not super-light and fluffy, but not gummy or rubbery either.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:01:49 +0000

I followed this recipe last night, except I followed Heidi’s (at 101 Cookbooks) fork method because I didn’t have a box grater. I was considering the big grate setting on the food processor, but chickened out of being the guinea pig for that method. They turned out divine! And the fork was easy since the starchy, oven-baked potatoes naturally fell apart nicely. Thanks for the recipe, bookmarked!

By: Linda

Linda — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:40:12 +0000

I have eaten a lot of very bad gnocchi in search of the light airy pillow of joy I had heard they could be. When I saw this recipe I decided I could take matters into my own hands. So glad I did. I now know what the fuss is about – they are marvelous. Ate some right away, and froze the rest. Made Chicken Gnocchi soup tonight for dinner from the frozen, and I think my husband wants to marry me all over again. Thanks Deb.