Potato Gnocchi with Fontina Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 17, 2020
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Italian Name:
Gnocchi alla fontina
Ingredients
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Poke each potato 8 times with paring knife. Microwave potatoes until slightly softened at ends, about 10 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through microwaving. Transfer potatoes directly to oven rack and bake until skewer glides easily through flesh and potatoes yield to gentle pressure, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Holding potatoes with dish towel, peel with paring knife. Process potatoes through ricer or food mill onto rimmed baking sheet. Gently spread potatoes into even layer and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer 3 cups (16 ounces) warm potatoes to bowl; discard remaining potato or save for another use. Using fork, gently stir in egg until just combined. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon salt over top and gently combine using fork until no pockets of dry flour remain. Press mixture into rough ball, transfer to lightly floured counter, and gently knead until smooth but slightly sticky, about 1 minute, lightly dusting counter with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Gently roll each piece of dough into ½-inch-thick rope on lightly floured counter, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking, then cut rope into ¾-inch lengths.
- Holding fork with tines upside down in one hand, press each dough piece cut side down against tines with thumb of other hand to create indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. If dough sticks, dust thumb or fork with flour. Transfer gnocchi to prepared sheets.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Using parchment paper as sling, add half of gnocchi and 1 tablespoon salt and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds (gnocchi should float to surface after about 1 minute).
- Meanwhile, melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup of cooking water, fontina, and nutmeg until cheese is melted and smooth. Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet and gently toss to coat; cover to keep warm. Return cooking water to boil and repeat cooking remaining gnocchi; transfer to skillet and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Italian Name:
Gnocchi alla fontinaIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Potato gnocchi was originally born from frugality—just humble potatoes and flour added up to a meal. While a multitude of variations (made from other vegetables or flours, bread, or cheese, to name a few) exist across Italy, in Valle d'Aosta you'll most likely find potato gnocchi dressed simply with gooey, pungent fontina cheese—the pride of the region—and butter. Called gnocchi alla fontina or gnocchi alla bava (“drooling gnocchi,” thanks to the melty cheese), the dish is warm and comforting. While some regional recipes bind the potatoes with buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour is equally traditional and readily available; we liked that it let the flavor of the fontina shine. For the potatoes, we went with starchy russets, which made for light dumplings. We baked rather than boiled the potatoes; this way they didn't absorb excess water and we could nail down an exact amount of flour to add—many recipes give a range, which can lead to dense dumplings. At their simplest and most traditional, recipes for the cheese component call for tossing chunks of butter and fontina with the hot gnocchi, but the cheese is prone to breaking. We found that whisking melted butter, fontina, and a bit of the gnocchi cooking water together prior to tossing resulted in a creamier, meltier sauce. A traditional pinch of freshly grated nutmeg in the sauce rounded out the flavors.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Poke each potato 8 times with paring knife. Microwave potatoes until slightly softened at ends, about 10 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through microwaving. Transfer potatoes directly to oven rack and bake until skewer glides easily through flesh and potatoes yield to gentle pressure, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Holding potatoes with dish towel, peel with paring knife. Process potatoes through ricer or food mill onto rimmed baking sheet. Gently spread potatoes into even layer and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Transfer 3 cups (16 ounces) warm potatoes to bowl; discard remaining potato or save for another use. Using fork, gently stir in egg until just combined. Sprinkle flour and 1 teaspoon salt over top and gently combine using fork until no pockets of dry flour remain. Press mixture into rough ball, transfer to lightly floured counter, and gently knead until smooth but slightly sticky, about 1 minute, lightly dusting counter with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Gently roll each piece of dough into ½-inch-thick rope on lightly floured counter, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking, then cut rope into ¾-inch lengths.
- Holding fork with tines upside down in one hand, press each dough piece cut side down against tines with thumb of other hand to create indentation. Roll dough down tines to form ridges on sides. If dough sticks, dust thumb or fork with flour. Transfer gnocchi to prepared sheets.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Using parchment paper as sling, add half of gnocchi and 1 tablespoon salt and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until firm and just cooked through, about 90 seconds (gnocchi should float to surface after about 1 minute).
- Meanwhile, melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup of cooking water, fontina, and nutmeg until cheese is melted and smooth. Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet and gently toss to coat; cover to keep warm. Return cooking water to boil and repeat cooking remaining gnocchi; transfer to skillet and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments