Potato Gnudi with Quick Marinara
Back when we lived in our little apartment and we were rebuilding our lives after closing our restaurant, I started cooking through Bon Appetit recipes. I consumed them wildly! I felt free when I read the recipes from far off places, and it brought me comfort when I missed my restaurant days.
I’d never made gnudi before, or gnocchi. I knew that I loved ricotta and semolina, and I knew gnocchi were always made with potato. So I decided to make these little dumplings from a Bon Appetit recipe I saw online, but I modified it by adding semolina and potatoes. The dumpling was a bit too smooth for my taste, but I thought, Gosh, wouldn’t this be lovely crisped up in some butter and olive oil?
I tried that, and it was heavenly. The star of the show was absolutely the potatoes—the flavor, the lightness, and of course they packed a bigger nutritional punch. I spooned warm marinara sauce over the top, set it in the window light of my front living room, and took a picture. My son Noah, who was just a little guy at the time, enjoyed every bite alongside me.
Starting over can feel big and scary and tough sometimes, but cooking has always seemed to work me through every change in my life. Whenever I make these little potato & ricotta dumplings, I remember starting over and feeling uncertain, then I fast forward to where I am now, some 8 years later, and I think, Yeah, we’ve got this. We can do hard things.
I hope you try this recipe. And I hope you head over to the Idaho Potato Commission’s website and look around at all the glorious things you can do with Idaho potatoes! The possibilities are absolutely endless!
This blog is brought to you by the Idaho Potato Commission.
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Potato Gnudi with Quick Marinara
Potato gnudi
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 8-10 minutes
Serves 4 (makes roughly 16 dumplings)
2 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
1 egg
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2-3/4 cup semolina flour
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Quarter the potatoes and boil until soft.
2. Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Cool the potatoes by smashing them with a fork until warm.
3. Add the cheese, egg, flour, salt, and pepper, then mix with a fork to bring the dough together. If the dough is too wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Lightly flour the surface of a baking sheet. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and gently form into a 2-inch tube on the sheet.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to gentle boil. Add half the dumplings to the water. Be sure the boil does not become too vigorous to cook properly.
6. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the olive oil over medium-high heat.
7. Boil the dumplings 5-6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them into the hot butter and oil.
8. Fry on both sides until golden, flipping only once.
9. Serve on a bed of fresh marinara sauce. Top with more marinara and clouds of freshly grated Parmesan.
Quick marinara
Prep/cook time 30 minutes
1 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes in juice
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup salted butter
2 cloves garlic
3-5 fresh tomatoes
Handfuls of fresh torn basil (measure with your heart)
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Place all ingredients in a large sauce pot. Use a potato masher to gently break up the whole tomatoes.
2. Simmer over medium heat 30 minutes.
3. Add more basil, if desired, and serve under the gnudi. Enjoy!