Crispy sage & nutmeg gnocchi with parmigiano reggiano sauce & honey

Cookery writers love to fiddle, my lack of patience & Chef Thomas Keller's sage advice

Plates of crispy gnocchi for supper

Chef Keller’s gnocchi

Cookery writers love to fiddle. Of course, as recipes go, there is nothing new under the sun, but that doesn’t stop creative attempts at recipe development. However, it is humbling to accept that sometimes the best just can’t be improved….much.

The credit for the success of the gnocchi element of this recipe goes to Chef Thomas Keller. Save for the addition of sage and nutmeg (see what I mean - fiddling!) I have kept this gnocchi recipe true to his instructions. 

A detour before we start cooking

Chef Keller has been a culinary mentor to me. Not in the literal sense, but rather through the pages of his legendary cookbook, The French Laundry. Ever since its publication, in 1999, it has become a cherished resource for professional chefs and home cooks alike. 

During the grey days of working as a creative in corporate, early in the morning and late at night, when the world seemed to be fast asleep, I would often cook as a form of therapy. At those times, like a firm but kind teacher, the voice of Chef Keller would be right there, offering sage advice:

“When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy. That’s what cooking is all about.” Chef Thomas Keller 

Wise words in the TFL kitchen

An English woman in Yountville

Forgive me for this slight detour from the recipe, but I really wanted to share this happy memory with you. One balmy July afternoon this summer I was thrilled to find myself in the delightful town of Yountville, Napa, enjoying a cup of Earl Grey tea with none other than Chef Thomas Keller and the inimitable TFL’s chef de cuisine, David Breeden. This surreal scene found us relaxing under an apple tree in the restaurant garden amongst a profusion of colourful blooms and vegetation. Believe it or not, there I was, sitting on a bench, reading some of my stories and reflections about food to these two culinary giants. More on that another time, I promise. 

A delicious meal and a lesson in excellence

The French Laundry, taken on a disposable camera.

A lesson learned 

Onto the gnocchi -  a simple enough dish one would imagine, certainly not one that would lead to fevered dreams of hurling gnocchi pellets across the kitchen in a fit of rage. Do I speak from experience? Certainly not. However, it is important to note that I have no natural patience. To be sure, I am trying to become a patient and measured cook, but it certainly doesn’t come naturally.  

There is pleasure in the toil

Pickled Pig Trotters?!

Growing up I often observed my mother’s intuitive additions to recipes – a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Certainly, formal recipe developing and writing remained a foreign concept to me for many years. Sure, I loved cookery books, after all, my mum’s eclectic collection featured descriptions and images of dishes such as: Pickled Pig Trotters, Woodcock of the Sea, Bedfordshire Clangers, Stoved Howtowdie with Drappit Eggs, Hare in Chocolate Sauce and Grilled Sheep’s Head with Aioli. I’m rather disappointed that none of these recipes were ever actually tested because Hare in Chocolate Sauce doesn’t sound half bad. Nevertheless, on certain pages, amongst the sauce stains and scribbles, I observed that Mum often used recipes as little more than a starting point from which she veered off-piste and created, as if by magic, an iteration which always seemed to turn out perfectly.

My R&D home kitchen

When I first realized that I wanted to cook as a career kitchen days would tend to evolve in a somewhat haphazard fashion. Initially inspired by some image or other, I would be convinced that a particularly fabulous dish could be achieved immediately. To be sure, there was preparation of a sort. This would start with a hurried sketch of what a dish might look like plated up - a round of applause for the art degree that didn’t go to waste. Then, with the pages of my recipe notebook brimming with annotated tasting notes I would head to the farmers’ market to grab whichever ingredients I lacked, and on return, line up a rough looking mise-en-place before launching straight into cooking.

Dad enjoying my recipe test as his lunch

+ a lovely glass of pinot grigio

On one particularly inspired occasion I decided I was going to make beetroot gnocchi. I had never made gnocchi before, but that didn’t dissuade me from proceeding as if I had. First, I made the disastrous mistake of whizzing the potatoes and beetroot in a food processor to save time. What could possibly go wrong? Everything it seemed. The result was a sticky, heavy, earthy flavoured glutinous paste, good for filling cracks in walls, but not stomachs.  Although this must already be apparent, I may add that as well as impatient, I am also stubborn. So, even though the concoction did not look right, nevertheless I soldiered on adding increasing quantities of flour. When assembled, to my mind the gnocchi resembled rotund blood thirsty caterpillars. My mother’s interpretation was no more flattering: she thought the dull red color of the gnocchi was more suggestive of unappetizing pieces of raw steak. Ouch.

Chef Keller to the rescue!

For this recipe I have taken Chef Keller’s technique and simply added a tablespoon of dried sage and a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg - no beetroot, no food processor, only minor fiddling. Of course, you could add whichever root vegetables you like, frankly though, I wouldn’t bother. Gnocchi doesn’t get much better than this.

Where this recipe becomes magical is in the crisping of the gnocchi at the very last stage of cooking. That, together with my parmigiano reggiano cream sauce and honey drizzle and you are well on your way to plated perfection. As for time saving? Don’t bother with that either. If you’re on the hunt for a one pot wonder meal, look elsewhere. This takes time, and so it should as there is pleasure to be found at every stage.

An added suggestion

I am not partial to drinking or listening to music whilst cooking, but if you are so inclined, this maybe the time to open that bottle of white that has been collecting dust in the cellar, before adding the dulcet tones of Nat King Cole. Enjoy. 

Ingredients

Gnocchi

2 lbs of russet potatoes

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 tbsp dried sage

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a fork, poke a few holes into the potatoes and place on a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are fully cooked.

Split the potatoes lengthwise, and while hot, scrape out the flesh and pass through a ricer or use a potato masher. Add the dried sage, nutmeg and salt.

Save the skins for potato skin crisps (see note below).

Now, place the mash in a pile on a flat board or counter. Make a well in the middle and layer approx. ½ cup of flour, followed by the egg yolks, followed by another ½ cup of flour.

Using a dough scraper, ‘chop’ the potato into the flour and eggs until roughly combined. Chef Keller says this should be a 15- 30 second process, but it took me approx. 40-45 seconds.

Please note: Be careful not to overwork the mixture otherwise the gnocchi will become heavy and sticky. This is more a feel rather than a science, so use your own discernment.

TIP: I found that the dough scraper method didn’t fully combine the mixture so I used the back of my hand to finish the process working lightly and very quickly until the mixture became homogeneous. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky on the outside so add more flour if needed.

Shape the dough into a ball and then cut into 4-6 equal sections. On a lightly floured surface roll each section into a long ½ inch snake shape. Cut these into individual ½ inch wide pieces and then gently mould each piece into a round circle shape.

If you have one, use a gnocchi paddle to create indents, otherwise, roll the gnocchi quickly and swiftly across the tines on the back of a fork to create the signature pattern. Now, place the gnocchi pieces on a board or flat surface covered in parchment paper and set aside until ready to boil.

Cook the gnocchi in boiling salted water for approx. 2 minutes. You will know the gnocchi is cooked when they rise triumphantly to the surface.

Place the cooked gnocchi in a bowl of iced water to halt the cooking process and then drain on a paper towel. Note: You can store the gnocchi in the refrigerator if using that day or freeze them in appropriate bags or containers for up to several weeks - super useful if you have last minute guests as you can cook the gnocchi straight from frozen - hurrah!

Pan-frying

Now for the extra fun part. When ready to serve your guests (or yourself), add the gnocchi to a searing hot pan containing a little melted butter and oil. Cook until golden brown on one side - a few minutes will do. TIP: Resist the urge to stir them too early, otherwise they will stick.

Parmigiano Reggiano Cream

2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter - approx 60g

¼ cup white wine or prosecco

2 cups heavy cream

1-2 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar

½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano

2 sprigs thyme

½ tsp fresh whole nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add the garlic. Gently pan fry for approx. 4-5 minutes, until soft, but not brown.

Now, add the white wine or prosecco, turn the heat up to low-medium and cook until the wine is reduced by half, approx. 4-6 mins.

Next, gradually whisk in the heavy cream then add the thyme and a little pinch of salt. Simmer for 6-8 minutes on low. Gently whisk every minute or so to prevent sticking.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in the parmesan then grate a little fresh nutmeg and finally add the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Finally joyfully pour the sauce over the delightfully crispy gnocchi and finish with a drizzle of honey.

Crispy Potato Skins - Roughly chop the potato skins, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & smoked paprika. Pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until crispy and season with a little more salt, a few drops of champagne vinegar and a generous drizzle of honey.