At the end of February, I spent a weekend in NYC with my mother at a food conference. Upon entering one of the large banquet halls for a food sampling from local restaurants, my mother disappeared. I eventually found her at the Fork table, eating gnocchi tossed with a lamb ragu and fermented sunchokes*. The scent of the lamb no doubt had percolated her Greek blood, leading her to the table, but I am convinced she would have lingered there regardless of what the gnocchi were tossed with—they were, as they say, light and pillowy, and just so darn good. After my third plate, I asked the chef, John Patterson, if he could offer any gnocchi-making tips, and while I can’t remember all of the details, I do remember him telling me to roast the potatoes at high heat for a considerable amount of time and to work the riced potatoes into a dough when they are still warm. I returned home thinking I would replicate those pillowy gnocchi immediately, but a month passed and so did the motivation. Until, that is, Jessica Battilana’s cookbook, Repertoire, arrived at my door. I had met Jessica last fall when I visited California Olive Ranch, so I knew what Repertoire was about: Jessica’s collection of never-fail recipes, the ones she serves for both weeknight meals and dinner parties alike, the recipes she turns to when it’s time to celebrate. But I didn’t know the specifics. I didn’t know there would be a gnocchi recipe, and when I came to it and read the method, which sounded so similar to John’s, instead of dreaming about those potato pillows, I raced to the grocery store to pick up a couple pounds of russets, sage leaves, and prosciutto. Jessica, if you are unfamiliar, writes the “Repertoire” column for the San Francisco Chronicle and has co-authored half a dozen other books. She is an expert recipe writer: detailed, precise, thoughtful. She notes why things can go wrong, e.g.: “Adding too much flour to gnocchi dough can cause them to be leaden and dense, but if you don’t add enough, they’ll fall apart when boiled.” And offers visual cues, too: “You’re looking for a dough that is soft but not sticky, and the amount of flour that you add to each batch may change, since the moisture content of the potatoes (and flour) can vary.” For the cooks that can channel their inner nonna, making gnocchi may feel intuitive, something to be made by feel. But for the rest of us, the details are so helpful: exactly how many pounds of potatoes, exactly how much flour, exactly how much salt, etc. I followed Jessica’s recipe to a T and felt confident every step of the way, which is not a feeling I’ve ever experienced when making gnocchi. And the result? Potato pillows of my dreams.
- UPDATE: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED: WINNER IS CARA SIU.* Friends, I’m so looking forward to exploring Repertoire further. As always, I’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime, I’m giving away a copy of Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need to one of you. To enter, leave a comment below. Answer this question: When you think of your repertoire, what comes to mind? *If you live in Philly, these gnocchi are still on the Fork menu. Woohoo!
Missing a photo! Confession: I was photographing this while Instagram storying the process, and I got distracted and forgot to photograph the formed ball of dough. If you are on Instagram, you can watch the whole gnocchi-making process: the story is saved in my highlights (found in my profile … let me know if you are having trouble finding it. It’s only accessible from your mobile phone.)
5 from 16 reviews Notes: Gnocchi can feel like a real task: roast potatoes, rice them, make a dough, shape them, boil them, sauté them, eat them. There are a few things you can do to make the endeavor not feel like so much of a process:
