Redemption
   of the
    Potato


Marci Nelligan  




























Photo: Meri Harli












 





The potato is a modest vegetable at best, and as the progenitor of the 
pierogi and french fries, is rarely viewed as an elegant food. The potato dons
its formal wear, however, when prepared as the Italian pasta, gnocchi.
Gnocchi - Italian for dumpling - is a hearty pasta with a delicate,
complex flavor. It is sweet, starchy and has a smooth, pleasing
consistency.  Though less refined than, say, a homemade cappellini,
it's every bit as delicious and infinitely easier to prepare.



















The Formula

Ingredients: 4 pounds potatoes, 4-6 cups of flour


Take 4-5 pounds of regular old Idaho spuds, peel, wash, and boil in a large
saucepan. Remove when soft (20-30 minutes), drain, and allow to cool. Place
potatoes in an industrial-size mixing bowl and with a potato masher, mash
until they achieve a consistent, even texture. Gradually work in the flour,
mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon, until the dough becomes easy to
work. The amount of flour varies depending on the absorbency of the
potatoes. As a rule of thumb, it takes approximately 2 1/2 cups of flour
for every 1 pound 2 ounces of potatoes. There is a Zen quality to this
practice; when you've reached the right ratio of potato to flour, you will
know.








































Separate the dough into several large pieces and roll these out on a
floured board into long, narrow tubes. Pull small pieces of dough (about
the size of the tip of your thumb) from the tube and roll into small nuggets, then
make an indentation in the nuggets with your finger or the back of a spoon.
Once you've amassed a fair quantity of gnocchi, you can begin cooking them.
Gnocchi are placed, a few pieces at a time, in a pot of boiling water and
rise to the surface of the water when they are completely cooked. Remove
with a slotted spoon and keep covered in a warm oven until you're ready to
serve.























Experiments in starch

The beauty of gnocchi is that it lends itself to endless experimentation.
For example, a truly excellent gnocchi can be made using sweet potatoes: 
these lend an intense, sweet flavor to the pasta, produce a richer,
smoother texture, and lend a nice color to the dish. Purple Peruvian
potatoes serve the same purpose, though the difference in taste is less
noticeable. A variety of ingredients can be added to the dough itself, such
as chopped herbs (rosemary tastes particularly good with the potato base,
though basil is a close second), chopped spinach, or ricotta cheese.
Another opportunity for experimentation lies in the water in which the
gnocchi are cooked. Try cooking them in a broth to achieve another
dimension of flavor, add a bit of wine to the water, or try floating fresh
herbs in the pot for an infusion of flavor.










































Serving options

The traditional Italian method for serving gnocchi is to top it with butter
and parmesan cheese. Serving options are fairly limitless, though. Gnocchi
is particularly good served with a homemade pesto sauce, which highlights
the sweet, earthy flavor of the potato. It also works quite well with a
rosemary-infused alfredo or a spicy marinara of tomato and roasted garlic.
It can be served baked or fried once cooked and functions well as a side
dish or entree.  However you prepare it, the rewards of making gnocchi are threefold: it's
impressive to guests, fun to experiment with, and liberates the potato from
the shackles of side-dish oppression and classist condecension. For those
not interested in vegetal freedom fighting, it simply tastes good.