Gnocchi with Brown Butter

Andy | Dinner | Italian

Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 1 min Servings: 4

Homemade gnocchi is something I'll make every few months for a special occasion or on a weekend when I have a little more time to prepare it. It's really easy to make and you can change the sauce to whatever you like. I've made it with a brown butter and sage sauce as it's a simple sauce to pair with your gnocchi. With this recipe, we'll boil and pan fry the gnocchi so it's soft and pillowy with a bit of texture and browning on the outside.

Gnocchi Explained

Bake the potatoes

Boiling potatoes soaks them in water, and water in the dough means you need more flour to hold it together, and more flour means heavier gnocchi. Baking the potatoes on a bed of rock salt that pulls out even more moisture gives you the driest possible flesh, which means less flour and lighter gnocchi. Prick the skins so steam can escape, then 180°C for at least an hour and 20 minutes. You want them completely soft, no give when you press them.

Don’t overwork the dough

Gnocchi dough is the opposite of bread dough. With bread we stretch the gluten so it can hold its shape. With gnocchi we want to barely activate it so the dough stays tender. Fold the riced potato, egg and flour together with a bench scraper rather than kneading. Stop the second the dough holds in a pillowy mass. Overworking is what turns light gnocchi into chewy ones.

Use your instincts with the flour

The 120g of flour in this recipe is a starting amount. How much you actually need depends on how dry your baked potatoes ended up, the time of year, and the hydration of your specific flour. Start with about half the flour, mix it through, then add more in small pinches only until the dough just holds together. Most of the time I don’t need more than what’s listed, but some days the potatoes are wetter and the dough needs a bit more help.

Ingredient Notes

Russet potatoes: A high-starch, floury potato is the only way to get pillowy gnocchi. Russet is my pick. In Australia they’re available at most specialty grocers and fresh produce stores. Agria, Kennebec, Maris Piper and King Edward all work as substitutes. Avoid waxy varieties like Charlotte or Kipfler. They have too much moisture and not enough starch, and your gnocchi will end up dense.

Plain flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour. The amount listed is a starting point. Start with half the flour, mix, and only add more if the dough won’t hold together. Less flour is always better than more for light gnocchi. Don’t reach for 00 or bread flour here.

Sage: Fresh sage leaves only, not dried. Look for plump, soft leaves in good colour. The crispy fried sage is the textural counterpoint to the soft gnocchi.

Equipment

Roasting tray
Sharp paring knife
Wooden board (for the dough)
Potato ricer (or potato masher)
Bench scraper
Gnocchi paddle (optional)
Large pot (for boiling)
Slotted spoon
Medium frying pan
Microplane (for the parmesan)

Ingredients

6 large russet potatoes (or other floury variety)
rock salt, enough to cover the base of a tray
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil (for the dough), plus extra for tossing and frying
120g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (you may need a touch more)
sea salt, to taste
12 to 15 fresh sage leaves
50g unsalted butter
parmesan, to serve

Directions

Make the gnocchi
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F).
Wash the potatoes and pat them dry. Prick each potato 5 or 6 times all over with the tip of a sharp knife to let steam escape during the bake.
Cover the base of a roasting tray with a shallow even layer of rock salt. Sit the potatoes on top of the salt and transfer to the oven for 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40 minutes, until completely soft all the way through. They should give easily with no resistance when pressed.
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh out onto a clean wooden board. Pass through a ricer or mash until smooth.
Beat the egg in a small bowl with a pinch of sea salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Season the riced potato with a pinch of salt. Add the egg mixture and about half the flour. Cut everything together with a bench scraper until it just starts to come together. Add the rest of the flour in small amounts only if the dough still feels sticky and won’t hold its shape.
Lightly knead the dough with your hands just until it holds together and feels pillowy. Stop as soon as it’s smooth. Don’t overwork it.
Dust the work surface with extra flour. Cut the dough into pieces and roll each into a long rope about 1.5 to 2cm thick. Cut each rope into 2cm pieces. If you have a gnocchi paddle, roll each piece over it to press a ripple pattern into the dough.
Transfer the shaped gnocchi to a floured tray as you work.
Cook the gnocchi
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil.
Working in batches, lower the gnocchi into the boiling water. Stir gently to stop them sticking to the bottom.
Once the gnocchi float to the surface, give them another 30 seconds. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a lightly oiled tray. Drizzle with a little more oil and toss to stop them sticking together.
Fry and serve
Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for 10 to 15 seconds, until they just crisp. Remove to paper towel to drain.
Add a portion of the gnocchi to the same pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes without moving them so they pick up colour underneath. Add the butter and let it foam around the gnocchi.
Once the gnocchi lifts cleanly from the pan, flip each piece over. Keep cooking until the gnocchi is golden brown and the butter has gone past foaming. You’ll see brown specks at the base of the pan and smell something nutty.
Transfer to warm bowls. Top with the crispy sage, a spoonful of brown butter from the pan, and a generous grating of parmesan. Cook the remaining gnocchi in the same way (in batches or across two pans). Any uncooked gnocchi can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Recipe notes

Brown the butter, don’t just melt it

Foaming is the halfway point. Once the butter is foaming around the gnocchi, keep it on the heat until you see brown specks forming on the base of the pan and you can smell something nutty, like roasted hazelnuts. That’s where all the flavour is. Spoon it straight over the gnocchi before serving.

Storage

Uncooked, shaped gnocchi keep on a floured tray in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them on a tray in a single layer, then transfer to a bag for up to 2 months. Cook from frozen straight into boiling water, they’ll take an extra minute or so. Cooked gnocchi don’t store well. The texture suffers on reheating. Make the dough ahead, freeze the shaped pieces, and cook fresh on the day.

FAQs

What potatoes should I use? A high-starch floury potato. Russet is what I reach for. Agria, Kennebec, Maris Piper and King Edward also work. Skip waxy potatoes like Charlotte and Kipfler. Too much moisture, not enough starch, and the gnocchi will end up heavy.

Can I leave out the butter? Yes, the gnocchi will still be good without it. Sub in extra olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for brightness. You lose the nutty brown butter flavour but you gain a lighter dish, and it’s dairy-free if you need that.

Why is my gnocchi gummy or chewy? Either you overworked the dough (kneading too long activates the gluten in the flour and makes them tough), or you used too much flour from the start. Next time, fold the dough with a bench scraper rather than kneading, and start with half the flour, adding more only as needed.

Can I make the gnocchi ahead? Yes. Shape the gnocchi and either keep them on a floured tray in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze them spread out on a tray first then transfer to a bag for up to 2 months. Boil straight from the fridge or freezer when you’re ready to serve. No defrosting needed.

What sauces work well with this gnocchi? Brown butter and sage is the classic. You can also fold the boiled gnocchi through a pesto, a ragu, or pan-fry with prawns and capers.