Potato Gnocchi With Basil - A Recipe With A Photo Step By Step

2023 Author: Catherine Crossman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:19

Ingredients

Potatoes - 4-5 pcs.

Flour - 4-6 tablespoons

Yolk - 1 pc.

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper - to taste

Basil or other herbs to taste

Butter - 2-3 tablespoons

Lemon zest to taste

Cheese to taste

• 185 kcal
• 50 minutes
• 50 minutes

Photo of the finished dish

Step by step recipe with photo

Gnocchi is a traditional Italian dish. In fact, these are miniature dumplings, which are usually served with a variety of sauces.

In Italy, gnocchi can be found everywhere. They are sold dried, fresh and frozen. Italians believe that every housewife should be able to cook gnocchi, because there is nothing tastier than homemade gnocchi carefully prepared by the woman you love.

Gnocchi can be based on various products, most often it is flour, cottage cheese (ricotta), semolina, pumpkin and, of course, potatoes. I really like the potato version of gnocchi. There is something close and familiar in it, akin to Russian cuisine.

It's also nice that this amazingly delicious soulful dish can be prepared even when it seems that the house has run out of almost all the products, and you urgently need to run to the store. A minimal set of products, and the result is a hearty, tasty, and unusual dish made from familiar ingredients. Let's get started?

For potato basil gnocchi, prepare the ingredients as listed. Typically, 4-5 large potato tubers are enough to make 2 medium-sized gnocchi. You can increase the amount of ingredients two to three times and freeze part of the gnocchi.

You can also use sage, oregano, thyme, tarragon, and other fresh herbs to taste in place of basil.

Prepare the main component of the dish - potatoes. Rinse, wipe dry, pierce with a fork in several places and bake, but not easy in the oven, and on a baking sheet covered with a thin layer of salt. Of course, you can just boil potatoes, but the taste of potatoes baked in salt is much more interesting and brighter.

Bake the potatoes in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius until tender, usually taking 30–35 minutes. The finished potato is easily pierced with a knife or a wooden skewer, its skin dries up and separates from the pulp. The salt can be saved and used again later.

The potatoes baked in this way are delicious on their own, but we will continue and prepare delicious gnocchi.

Chill the potatoes slightly. Peel and grate on a fine grater.

Add the yolk, chopped basil leaves, salt, ground black pepper, 1-2 tablespoons of flour.

Combine ingredients and transfer dough to a floured work surface.

Continue kneading the dough, gradually adding flour. The finished dough should not stick to your hands too much, remaining soft and pliable. The less flour, the more tender the finished gnocchi will be.

Divide the dough into several pieces and roll into sausages. Cut into small pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball.

Using a fork, make grooves on the surface of the gnocchi. You can skip this step, but it is believed that these grooves on the surface allow the sauce to wrap around the gnocchi better, and the dish tastes much better. Well, of course, they also improve the appearance.

In order to make grooves, set the fork as in the photo and, holding it with one hand, roll the ball along the fork with a light and quick motion, as if you are going to roll it up the base onto the handle. The ball will roll back already with characteristic grooves on the surface. The process requires some skill, but after a few tries you will definitely succeed.

You can experiment with the degree of pressure, hold the gnocchi with your fingers on the sides, rolling back and forth, and even make grooves all over the gnocchi. Experiment and you will quickly find the one that works best for you. At this point, the gnocchi can be frozen and used later.

Boil the formed gnocchi in boiling salted water for 1 minute. This stage is similar to making lazy dumplings - toss the gnocchi into boiling water and remove as soon as they float to the surface.

For the sauce, melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add a few basil leaves if desired. The sauce can be changed depending on the mood and the season. Potato gnocchi will work equally well with tomato, cheese, mushroom, green and pesto sauce.

Place the boiled gnocchi in the melted butter, lightly heat everything together for a few minutes.

Our goal is not to fry the gnocchi, but only to warm up and bathe in a fragrant sauce.

Serve the potato basil gnocchi hot, sprinkled with grated cheese or lemon zest.