Potato Gnocchi Gratin
- 2 pounds baking potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 cup unbleached ail-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- 2 cups light cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped into ½-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
Making gnocchi may seem arcane, but in truth they are not much more than poached bits of mashed potato.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Roast the potatoes for 40 to 50 minutes—they should be just done. If they cook too long, they won’t rice properly.
- Let the potatoes cool for 5 minutes, no longer. Using a kitchen towel to hold the potatoes, cut each one in half, scoop out the potato flesh, and rice into a large bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix well. Add the egg and quickly knead everything together into a sticky dough; work the dough no longer than 3 minutes. If it’s too wet, add a small amount of additional flour. If you add too much flour or knead the dough for too long, the gnocchi will be gluey.
- Fill a large pot with 4 inches of water; bring to a boil and season with salt. (You need the water deep enough to cook the submerged gnocchi, yet shallow enough that you can maintain a good boil. If you want the process to go faster, put on two large pots.) Fill another large pot with ice water. Dust your hands with flour. Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a gumball to make a trial gnocchi. Roll it between your palms into a ball, then drop it into the boiling water. After it cooks for a minute, it will bob to the surface. Let it cook for a minute longer, then remove it with a slotted spoon.
- Plunge it into the ice water for a few seconds, then taste it. (Don’t worry if the outside looks a little filmy as it comes out of the ice water. The film will disappear as the gnocchi dries and the moisture evaporates.) The gnocchi should be cooked through but still soft. If it falls apart, knead a little more flour into the dough, taste for seasoning, and test again.
- Using more flour as needed, roll the dough under your palms into ½-inch-thick logs. There should be enough dough to make between 4 and 5 logs about 18 inches long. Cut the logs diagonally into 1-inch lengths. You should get 65 to 70 gnocchi. Gnocchi are generally given a final shaping either by making a depression in the center of each piece with your finger or rolling them off the back of the tines of a fork.
- Preheat the broiler. Grease a shallow 2-quart baking dish with the butter. (The dish has to be large enough to accommodate the gnocchi in a single layer.) Add the gnocchi to the boiling water in several batches. Again, let them bob to the surface, then cook for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi from the boiling water to a sheet pan, shaking off excess water. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then transfer to the buttered baking dish. (If not baking the gnocchi immediately).
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to simmer, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the tomatoes.
- Arrange the gnocchi in the dish in a single layer. Pour the cream and tomatoes over the gnocchi. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Place under the broiler until the gnocchi are toasted and golden, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.