Homemade gnocchi is one of those things that was sort of always on my to-do list, but I just never got around to.
Then one day this past summer, I stumbled across a recipe from Gimme Some Oven called 20-Minute Ricotta Gnocchi and I was intrigued.
Homemade gnocchi in 20 minutes? That I could do!
I tried the recipe and was hooked with a capital "H"! So quick and easy and SO delicious! Making gnocchi is almost like playing with Play-Doh.
Yup, it's that fun!
I tried the original recipe a couple of times and then tried a few other similar recipes.
The ingredients for gnocchi, like all pasta, are pretty basic: flour, eggs, salt, pepper... and of course for this recipe: ricotta cheese.
But the original recipe I tried only boiled the gnocchi and didn't offer any sauce suggestions.
Now, I knew from ordering gnocchi out at restaurants that I am one who likes my gnocchi boiled and then pan fried so one side is nice and crispy. Almost like a pot sticker. So that's what I did.
And after mastering the fine points of making the gnocchi dough, I decided to make a delicious brown butter sage sauce to accompany them, and it's just perfect to complement the crisped gnocchi.
If sage is still in season, that's perfect! Maybe you have some ready to be harvested from your herb garden.
Trust me, if you've never tried making gnocchi, you have to try it! And if you've only ever made potato gnocchi, you have to try making it with ricotta!
I promise you, you'll make these once and then want to add them to your regular dinner rotation! And they're so quick and easy, homemade gnocchi are an achievable weeknight dinner!
Home Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Place a paper towel in a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta, then place another paper towel on top of the ricotta. Press down to soak up as much of the liquid as possible, then repeat with two fresh paper towels.
Once the liquid has been absorbed, peel the paper towels off the ricotta and discard the towels. Add the egg yolks to the bowl of ricotta and stir or whisk them together.
Then add the flour, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Stir until just combined. You want to avoid over-mixing the dough, which will make the gnocchi tough instead of pillowy. You'll have a soft, semi-sticky dough, that will look and have the consistency of deviled egg filling - but you should be able to shape it into a ball.
Now you'll need to flour your cutting board or clean work space really well - and also rub some flour on your hands. (Be liberal with the flour as you form your gnocchi, adding more the cutting board the dough and your hands.)
Scrape the dough out of the bowl and pat or roll it into a flat, round disk and divide it into eight wedges.
Then roll each wedge into a rope, about 1" in diameter.
Using a knife, trim off the ends, then cut the ropes at 3/4 - 1" intervals to make the individual gnocchi and move them to a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour.
Once you've cut all the gnocchi, sprinkle some additional flour over the tops. This will help prevent them from sticking to each other when they are cooking.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Carefully tip the gnocchi from the parchment into the boiling water, then stir them gently to prevent them from clumping together as you drop them into the water.
Wait about 30 seconds until the gnocchi float to the surface of the water, and then cook them for 1 more minute.
Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels.
Pan Frying the Gnocchi and Making the Sauce
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a large cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan over medium-high heat.
Once the butter has melted, add the drained gnocchi in a single layer. (You can split the gnocchi into two batches to give them more room.)
Cook for a minute or so without moving the gnocchi to brown the bottoms, then continue to cook for another couple of minutes, moving the gnocchi around in the pan gently, until they’re lightly browned all over.
Don't be afraid to get a nice sear on some!
Transfer the gnocchi to a bowl.
Making the Browned Butter Sage Sauce
Put the pan back over medium heat and add the rest of the butter.
When the butter has melted, add the sage leaves.
Continue to cook for several minutes, stirring up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan, until the butter turns a light brown color and start to smell nutty, and the sage leaves start to crisp up.
Remove from the heat and add the gnocchi to the pan, tossing to coat everything evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with some additional nutmeg grated over the top and garnish with additional sage leaves, if desired.
