Parmesan Idaho® Potato Gnocchi with Chunky Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- Gnocchi:
- 2 pounds Idaho® russet potatoes
- 16 ounces flour
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
- 5 eggs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Sauce:
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large red pepper, julienne
- 1 large green pepper, julienne
- 1 large carrot, peeled, julienne
Directions:
- Sauce:
- In a skillet, heat olive oil. Cook onion for 5 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, tarragon, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low; simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed.
- In a medium pot, blanch vegetables until crisp and tender. Stir into tomato sauce. Reserve.
- Gnocchi:
- Cook potatoes, whole, in their skins, in boiling water until tender. Drain well. Let stand until just cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and grate, rice or mash while still hot. Preparing gnocchi dough while the potatoes are still hot helps to preserve the natural starches and prevent the potatoes from getting gummy.
- Combine flour and Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl or on a large cutting board. Add potatoes and eggs and mix just until ingredients are combined (do not over mix or mixture will become tough and gummy)
- On a floured surface, take one sixth of the gnocchi mixture and roll into a cylinder the size of a roll or dimes. Continue to make cylinders with the rest of the dough. Cut gnocchi every 3/4" with a sharp knife. Place each of the gnocchi near the tines of a floured fork. Press the center of each piece with a finger and roll the dumpling toward you, allowing tines to make decorative ridges. Place on a floured baking sheet (If you haven't mastered the fork technique, the dumplings can be dimpled lightly with your finger.) Repeat until all gnocchi are formed.
- To cook bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi in batches. When they float, taste for doneness then remove and drain. Toss with warm sauce and serve. Offer more Parmesan cheese on the side, if desired.