Gnocchi with Sage and Sausage

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Homemade Gnocchi with Sage and Sausage is not difficult! With a little prep work, you can have homemade gnocchi in on time. They’re more flavorful and so rewarding!

It’s #NationalPotatoDay! How did I not know this was such a thing? I’m a total potato hoor!! I could eat potatoes daily and never get tired of them. I think it’s in my blood, which is Irish. So, you know we have had lots of potatoes in our history.

My favorite is baked. Loaded with sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, and onions. Then it’s probably pierogies (which aren’t Irish I know), fries, mashed, and so on. But a good baked potato is tops on my list. I could eat one every day for dinner and never get tired. BUT it has to have that crispy skin. Yes. I eat the skin.

When you think about potatoes, most think of Ireland. At least I do. It’s a crop that sort of saved many from the hardship that hit that country. No, I’m not going into a history lesson about the Irish. I’m just curious how this vegetable that is so prevalent in Irish history comes to make potato dumplings in Italy. Yes, I am slightly obsessed with food history right now.

Where does gnocchi come from?

Before we can answer that question, we have to figure out how the potato got to Italy since it was originally from South American. Yes, the potato was cultivated and domesticated in what is now Peru between 8K and 5K BC. A super long time ago. The Peruvians even had tubers or potatoes drawn into the ceramic pottery they made to store the potatoes.

The Spanish, being the mega explorers that they were brought the potato back to Spain from Latin America. It spread to France and the British Isles in the 1500’s. The popularity of the potato spread like wildfire! Think about it. It’s not expensive to grow. There’s a lot of nutrients and fiber in a potato which fills people up pretty quickly on the cheap. And the added bonus that it lasts a long time in cold storage means it doesn’t spoil as quickly as other root vegetables like the turnip and rutabaga.

The Spanish also brought the potato to Italy. However, it’s unclear how gnocchi first came about. Many areas of Italy lay claim to these potato pillows, but there’s no solid evidence that one area invented them first. Which is fine with me! I’m just happy they were invented at all.

Gnocchi are not difficult to make.

I’m just saying.

The hubs asked me what was for dinner Saturday. Granted he could have looked at the menu on the fridge, but we won’t go there. I said, “I have to make gnocchi.” “Lucky you!” he said sarcastically. I asked him what he meant, and he said that they’re not easy to make and I’d be in the kitchen for a while. I then explained that no, gnocchi don’t take long to cook at all! In fact, with the right amount of prep work, they’re really easy to make.

You can bake the potatoes. Or, you can boil the potatoes. I microwave them. I’ve done this twice now and it works like a charm. The potatoes come out pretty dry when you microwave them. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, I peel them, rice them, and lay them out on my work surface to cool even more. It took me longer to peel them then to cook them.

Once they’re cool enough, you add in the flour, make a mound, and add the egg. Then it’s a matter of beating the egg and starting to work in the rest of the ingredients to make the dough. And since the dough needs to me light and fluffy, you don’t have to work it too much.

Now, the hiccup I had was the pot of water. I didn’t have a pot of water boiling to check the dough. I had to wait for it boil, check the dough and add more flour according. You make one gnocchi and drop in the water. If it disintegrates, then you need more flour. If it holds up, then you’re good to go to finish making your gnocchi.

No, the ridges are not necessary. They do keep the sauce on the gnocchi better than no ridges. And no, you don’t need the gnocchi paddle. I went overboard with that thing, but it was only $5! I plopped it into my cart when I purchased the ricer. You can easily use the tines of a fork to make the iconic ridges on the gnocchi. However, do need a ricer.

Mashing them by hand really doesn’t get that aerated potato you’re looking for. Besides, it makes super fluffy mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. You can put apples through it for apple sauce or apple butter if you want. It’s not a one trick pony in the kitchen.

Yes, you can make gnocchi ahead of time!

You can get them all ridged up and ready to cook. Once they’re finished, put them on a sheet pan and stick them in the freezer. Once frozen you can toss them in an airtight bag to freeze for up to one month. When you’re ready to eat them, take them out of the freezer and drop them into boiling water. Simple as that! I saved one serving the gnocchi that I will probably add to the pumpkin gnocchi I made last year. They were so good! And the orange and white colors would look fun together.

Which reminds me. Do not over work your dough. It needs to just come together before you test it. It should be light and airy not dense. The dough should cut like butter with a bench scraper or sharp knife. It if’s harder than that, you’ve overworked it. I’m not sure how you would save that. Maybe add more potato? I have no idea. I haven’t trouble shooted gnocchi before.

Most times the gnocchi are sautéed but you can easily coat it with sauce and serve it without sautéing it. I like the flavor the browned butter adds to the gnocchi, so I always sauté them. Just look at that golden color there. You can’t tell me that adds flavor no matter the sauce you’re using with these pillows of goodness.

I initially wrote this down as gnocchi with sage and pancetta. But that was before I found out the hubs was off work this weekend. He needs more protein in his meals than the cubes of pancetta I had initially planned. Which is why I usually stock up on the marked down Italian sausages they have at the grocery. Those suckers come in handy more often than not. I just pulled one out of the freezer and added it instead of pancetta.

And nixed the fresh sage. I wasn’t sure how HE would react to those. However, these is rubbed sage in the butter. So, there is sage in there, just not fresh sage. By all means, use fresh sage and pancetta in your recipe.

The hubs was really funny with this recipe. He was thinking of alterations and flavor combinations to make. Sometimes he’s not all that interested and then sometimes he really gets into it. Especially when cookies are involved. He’s going to have a field day with the cookie event we’re doing again this year.

That is one hearty bowl of goodness! I garnished with rosemary and then added some Parmesan before I devoured the bowl. I didn’t show the Parmesan on there. I thought it would make the bowl too monochromatic. Yup. Throwing out them big words like I’m edumacated! It’s just a lot of brown and tan in there. A pop of green and added flavor of the rosemary really brings the whole down home for me.

He says to me, “You have a fancy bowl!” all pouting. I told him to get his own fancy bowl. There’s a larger one that would hold his manly portion, but he didn’t. I think he just likes to tease about that. Which is good. I like the teasing most times. The sock throwing, not so much. But that’s another post.

I hope you pay homage to this humble vegetable today and have some potatoes. I hope you have some of these delicious recipes and try your hand at making gnocchi. They’re not that difficult, contrary to popular belief.

Happy National Potato Day!

Thank you to Valentina from The Baking Fairy for organizing this event!  Check out all of the delicious potato recipes we made for the occasion:

• Banh Mi Potato Skins by The Spiffy Cookie
• Baked Tornado Potatoes by For The Love of Food
• Campfire Potatoes by Our Good Life
• Chutneywale Aloo by Food Trails
• Gnocchi with Sage and Sausage by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Individual Pommes Anna by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Paleo Zuppa Toscana by Frugal & Fit
• Potato Dinner Rolls by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes by Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Rainbow Smashed Purple Potatoes + 5 Spice Peanut Sauce by PlantCrush