Purple Potato Gnocchi

We found purple potatoes at a local grocery store, and not long after, my son and I attended a cooking class and made gnocchi. On the purple potato box, it stated they were good potatoes to use for gnocchi, so a little bit later, my son and I made gnocchi with the purple potatoes at home. It was a lot of work, but the end result was so beautiful and tasty, too! 

For light gnocchi, the potatoes must be riced through a ricer. We don't have one, but we do have a spaetzle press, and used that. (Middle pic, above.) One gets the same results as a ricer. After ricing, let the potatoes cool completely. Then, add flour, salt, and egg. In the cooking class, we didn't use the egg. At home, the dough would not hold together without it. It depends on what type of potato you use, I think, and the moisture level. 

Purple Potato Gnocchi

recipe adapted from Chef M 

Gnocchi:

2 lb (i kg) purple potatoes

2 1/2 cup all-pourpose flour

1 egg (optional)

pinch of salt

Sage Sauce:

3 Tablespoons butter (I used salted)

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 large sage leaves

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1.  Boil the potatoes (whole) in slightly salted water until soft in the center. Drain and peel while still warm. Push the potatoes through a ricer or spaetzle press while still warm. Spread the potatoes out and let cool completely.

2.  Now, mix in the flour, salt, and egg, forming a dough. 

3.  Take sections of dough and roll into ropes, about as thick as your thumb. Cut these into 1/2-inch sections. Now, you can score each gnocchi on a fork or a gnocchi board to get those gnocchi grooves. You can also leave them smooth. Set the gnocchi onto baking trays covered with parchment paper. 

4.  Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water and remove as soon as they float to the top. (You can lower each sheet of parchment into the boiling water for easier transfer. As soon as the parchment touches the water, the gnocchi should fall into the water easily.) As soon as you remove the gnocchi, add them to the skillet with the sage/butter sauce (step 5). 

5. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Over medium heat in a skillet, melt the butter, oil, sage and garlic. Add the drained gnocchi and sauté together until well-mixed. Place on a plate and garnish with parmesan cheese.

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