A Labor of Love: Ricotta Chive Gnocchi

Disclaimer:  DO NOT,  I repeat, DO NOT, attempt this recipe on a work night/before going out/any time you have a show to watch but TIVO isn't working because it takes hours.  I'm really bad at reading recipes all of the way through prior to starting them, so take warning.

However - if you do have a lot of time of your hands - this recipe is SO worth it.

Or, you can just cut the recipe in half. 

Regardless, back to the good stuff:  I've seen this recipe on the Food 52 website and often wondered if homemade gnocchi was that much different than store-bought.  In my opinion, it isn't drastically different but if you really get the basics down I think it'd be easy to experiment with different flavors that you most likely wouldn't find in a store.  The funny thing about this ricotta and chive gnocchi is that it doesn't necessarily get its flavor from the primary ingredients.  The flavor really stems from the frying at the end - but isn't that always the case?

Ricotta Chive Gnocchi

3 medium size russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
2 cups of flour - plus more on hand for rolling the dough
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they're tender and almost falling apart. Once the potatoes are done, drain the water and peel the skin off of the potatoes.

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes until they are very smooth.  You may want to use a potato masher or even a blender to ensure there are no chucks of potato in the mixture.  Next, add the eggs one at a time and mix until they are fully incorporated into the potatoes.

Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan and chives and mix thoroughly.

Next, add the flour, a little bit at a time, and mix until a very smooth dough-like texture.  It might be a little sticky but that's okay.

Spread the additional flour on a chopping block and rub a little on your hands.  Grab a handful of dough and roll it out until it's about half an inch thick and in a snake-like figure.

In the meantime, start boiling a pot of water.

 Once you have rolled out all of the dough, cut them into one-inch pieces, like so:

See, this really is a labor of love.

Add a few pieces of gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for about five minutes.  You'll know when it's done when they start to pop up to the top of the water.  Remove from water, and place in a heated fry pan with a little bit of olive oil.  Fry the gnocchi until they develop a light brown crust on both sides.


INSIDER TIP:  because this recipe makes an absurd about of gnocchi, try to reuse as much of the boiling water as possible.  I used two pots to do this - as I drained the gnocchi in the colander, I used a second pot to "catch" the water instead of using a fresh pot each time. 

Once the gnocchi has a nice brown crust around the outside, serve with your favorite sauce.  I made a brown butter and sage sauce (the obvious choice) but explore!  The options are endless.