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Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Name: Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 lb Russet potatoes; about 1 1/3 cups All-purpose flour; 1 Large egg yolk; 1 Tbsp Fine table salt; 1 lb Mild Italian pork sausage; 1 1/2 loosely packed cups Fresh basil; 1 oz Pine nuts; 1 small clove Garlic; 1 3/4 oz Parmesan; 3 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil; 7 fl oz Light cream; 1/4 tsp Ground black pepper

Italian sausage is a retail style rather than one fixed formula. Fennel, chile, garlic, and salt levels vary by brand, so this sauce is seasoned only after the sausage and Parmesan are in the pan.

type: Potato
sauce: Pesto · Cream · Sausage

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Time and servings

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 95 min
Servings: 6

Nutrition per serving

Calories: about 600
Protein: 21 g
Fat: 38 g
Carbs: 44 g

Cook the potatoes
Choose either boiling or baking. Boiled potatoes make a softer, moister dough; baked potatoes make a drier dough that usually needs less flour. To boil, put the whole unpeeled potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, until a thin knife slides easily into the center, then drain them well. To bake, heat the oven to 425°F220°C, scrub and pierce the potatoes, and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until tender.
Make the basil pesto
While the potatoes cook, peel the garlic and grate the Parmesan. Pulse the basil, pine nuts, and garlic until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse just until textured. Stir in the Parmesan, cover, and set aside. Do not heat the pesto directly.
Mash the potatoes
Peel the potatoes while they are warm. Pass them through a potato ricer, or mash them with a potato masher until no lumps remain. Spread the potato out briefly to let the steam escape.
Mix the dough
Add the yolk, 1/2 tsp3 g of the salt, and 1 cup120 g of the flour to the warm potato. Mix gently until no dry flour remains. If the dough is too sticky to roll, add flour a spoonful at a time until it is soft and slightly tacky. You may not need all the flour.
Roll and cut the ropes
Divide the dough into portions. Roll each into a rope about 3/4 inch2 cm thick and cut it into 3/4 inch2 cm pieces, using only enough flour to prevent sticking.
Add the ridges
Roll each piece over a gnocchi board to create beautiful, well-defined ridges that help the sauce cling. A fork can make simple grooves.
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Brown the sausage
Remove and discard the sausage casings. Put the sausage in the cold skillet, set it over medium heat, and break the meat into small crumbles. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and turning, until browned with no pink areas and the largest crumbles reach 160°F71°C. Spoon off excess rendered fat if it pools, then add the pepper.
Heat the cooking water
Bring about 3 quartsabout 3 liters of water and 2 tsp12 g of the salt to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Make the sauce in the next step while the water heats.
Add the cream
Lower the heat and add the cream. Scrape the browned bits from the skillet and bring the sauce to a quiet simmer for 3 minutes. Keep it warm without boiling hard.
Poach the gnocchi
Slide the gnocchi into the gently simmering water and stir once so they do not stick to the bottom. Reserve 1/2 cup120 ml cooking water, then lift the gnocchi as they float and transfer them directly to the skillet.
Fold in the pesto
Remove the skillet from direct heat and fold in the pesto. Add reserved cooking water 1 Tbsp15 ml at a time only if the sauce is too tight. Taste after the seasoned sausage and Parmesan are fully mixed, then add up to 1/2 tspup to 3 g of the salt only if needed. Serve immediately.