Recipes

Mostly Martha: Italian Gnocchi

August 9, 2010

In the movie Mostly Martha, two disparate personalities vie for control of the kitchen. But they agree on the making of gnocchi together, and from there a romance blooms. As Chef Martha says, "Gnocchi have to be prepared with great care, that's all. With gnocchi you have to take your time." Good advice to consider while making our recipe for gnocchi with brown butter and sage. We recommend you use real Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Nutty brown butter and earthy sage are the stars of this comforting gnocchi dish.

Yield: serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 lb. russet potatoes, unpeeled
Kosher salt, to taste
4 oz. spinach
1 ¹⁄₄ cups semolina flour, sifted, plus more
2 eggs, beaten
18 tbsp. unsalted butter
16 leaves fresh sage, minced
¹⁄₄ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan

Instructions

Put potatoes into a 4-qt. pot of salted water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are tender, 25 minutes. Drain; let cool. Peel potatoes; pass through medium plate of a food mill into a bowl.
Meanwhile, heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and 1 tbsp. of water; cook until wilted. Press on spinach in a sieve to extract liquid. Finely chop spinach; stir together with potatoes and semolina and form a well in center. Add eggs and salt and, using a fork, beat eggs into potato mixture. Transfer dough to a work surface dusted with semolina; knead to combine. Divide the dough into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a 1⁄2"-thick rope. Cut ropes into 1⁄2"-wide pieces; transfer to semolina-dusted sheet tray.
Melt 10 tbsp. butter in a 10" skillet over medium heat; cook, swirling, until butter browns, about 6 minutes. Add sage and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; set aside.
Working in 4 batches, add 2 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. oil to a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add dough pieces and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Wipe out skillet and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and dough pieces. Toss dumplings and brown butter sauce in the skillet until hot. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.