Description
A favorite winter comfort food, learn how to make perfect potato gnocchi filled with sausage and served with a simple tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 Medium Russet Potatoes (About 2 Pounds When Baked & Riced)
- 1 1/2 Cup All-purpose Flour (Plus Additional For Rolling)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Egg Yolks
Sausage Filling:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 Pound Mild Italian Sausage Links (Meat Removed From Casings)
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 1/2 Cup Red Wine
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Tomato Sauce:
- 3 Cups Crushed Tomatoes
- 5 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion (Peeled and Cut In Half)
- Salt To Taste
To Serve:
- Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Instructions
- Bake the potatoes (skin on) in a preheated 375 degrees F. oven until fork tender.
- While the potatoes are baking, make the sausage filling.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and then break up the sausage meat into the pan.
- Cook until no longer pink, using two forks to break up the meat as it cooks.
- Add the onion and garlic, often stirring, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the red wine and cook until the wine has evaporated.
- Place the sausage mixture along with the salt, pepper, egg yolk, and cheese, into a food processor, and pulse until blended.
- Dump the mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
- Once the potatoes have baked, cut the potatoes in half and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Scoop the flesh from the potatoes, and press through a potato ricer onto a clean counter or bread board.
- Spread the potatoes and allow to cool just until warm to the touch.
- Beat the egg yolks and pour over the riced potatoes.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the flour and salt over the potatoes and use your fingers or a pastry scraper to work the flour gently into the potatoes.
- Use your fingers to gently knead to dough adding the additional 1/2 cup of flour as needed until the dough just comes together and is no longer sticky.
- Shape the dough into a log.
- Divide the dough into three pieces, and roll one piece into a log about 2 inches in diameter.
- Use your fingers to create an indentation down the center of the dough, being careful to leave some dough at the bottom, creating a canoe shape.
- Spoon the sausage filling into the indentation, and then bring up each side of the dough to cover.
- Pinch the dough to enclose the filling.
- Use a little flour and roll the log until it is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick being careful to keep the filling encased in the dough.
- Use a sharp knife, and cut the log into 1-inch thick slices, placing the cut gnocchi onto a lightly floured baking sheet.
- Continue to fill and shape the remaining gnocchi dough.
- Refrigerate gnocchi until needed, but no longer than 8 hours.
- To make the sauce, place the tomatoes, onion, and butter into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove the onion, and season the sauce with salt.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Cook the gnocchi right from the refrigerator until they float to the surface.
- Drain the gnocchi, and then return to the pot.
- Add half the sauce, and gently stir to coat.
- Serve the gnocchi in individual bowls topped with an extra scoop of sauce.
- Pass the grated cheese at the table.
Notes
Tomato sauce from Marcella Hazan.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian