notes, quotes & anecdotes of a year fast passing

if you haven’t watched the video i uploaded earlier, DO IT. if you have watched it, watch it again :) last night was our conference tournament quarterfinal against one of our rivals and not only did we win, but one of my guys also hit that shot. a beyond-half court buzzer-beater to end the first half? crazy. luckily we came out with a win and will be back at it on thursday night. unluckily, that meant i had to stay at the office til well after 1am to get work done. yuck.

anyways, i’ve got a crazy week ahead and i’m glad that i got some cooking done this weekend! for whatever reason, i decided to try my hand at homemade gnocchi. these little pillow potato pastas have always been one of my favorite side dishes and i loved when my dad decided to make them with our dinner. as i got older, i would love going to nice italian restaurants and seeing fresh gnocchi on the menu.

this variation is an “easy” recipe, so i found them to be way denser than their professionally-made counterpart. they were filling, though, and even though they’re different from the version i usually eat, they were still tasty in their own right. i consider these more of a new, different way to enjoy potatoes rather than a pasta.

1.5 pounds yukon gold potatoes (2-3 medium)

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus a little to flour the cutting board)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. scrub and dry the potatoes and poke them with a fork, five or so times around the potato. put them on a baking sheet and bake for 1-1.5 hours at 350 degrees.

when they are done baking, let them cool just slightly. cut them open, scoop out the insides and mash immediately. keep them covered so they retain their heat — you want the potatoes to be warm while you’re working with them.

whisk together the egg and yolk and add them to the potatoes. also add the salt, pepper and flour. mix everything gently with a fork or rubber spatula until just combined and then turn out into a floured cutting surface.

knead the dough gently until it forms into a ball and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

cut the ball into quarters (looks like when we made the banana scones!) and roll each quarter into a 1/2” wide snake. cut each snake int 1/2” pieces and place each piece onto a wax paper-covered baking sheet.

when you’re ready to cook them, toss them into lightly salted, boiling water. as soon as they rise to the top, let them cook another 1-2 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.

HOWEVER… if you aren’t planning to eat them right away or if you’ve made extra, freeze them flat on a baking sheet until they’re frozen solid and then store them in an airtight container. (i didn’t have enough room for a whole baking sheet in my freezer so i did a freezable plastic container with wax paper between each flat row of gnocchi). when you’re ready to cook them, throw the frozen gnocchi right into the water and add a couple of minutes to the cook time.

i tossed mine with fresh tomatoes, dried basil, salt (trust me, they’ll need some more salt!), pepper and olive oil. my favorite way to eat them growing up was with a little bit or butter and some “sprinkly cheese.”

i couldn’t even eat half the bowl, it was so filling.

click here for a printable version of the recipe!