Gnocchi with Lamb Sauce 

First, full disclosure. To my knowledge no one in my family descends from Italy. Growing up there was no Italian restaurant in my small hometown though the spaghetti casserole was a “church supper and funeral food” favorite. (Yes, funeral food is a thing and I’m aware spaghetti casserole was an American creation.) But I adore Italian food. Some years back Emily inspired me to tackle fresh pasta and that ultimately led me to take on gnocchi. We’ve long made our own rolls, biscuits and piecrusts – all from scratch – so not really sure why I was hesitant to jump in and try this classic dish.

Gnocchi is one of my favorites but finding a good store-bought version is difficult. So I did some late-night reading, researched a lot and came across some great tips. Food & Wine, one of my favorite publications, proved to be a wealth of information. The ingredients for making these plump, fluffy Italian dumplings are surprisingly simple. Potatoes, flour – preferably “00”, an extra-fine Italian pasta flour – kosher salt and a couple of egg yolks.

What I learned from my research is that it’s all about controlling the moisture in the dough that is so critical in a tender gnocchi. Instead of boiling potatoes they’re baked on a bed of kosher salt until they’re very tender. The salt helps draw the additional moisture from the potatoes producing the perfect potato.

Once cooked the potatoes are pressed through a sieve or potato ricer leaving them free of lumps, super light and fluffy.

These little, tender dumplings are certainly wonderful sautéed in butter with a dusting of Parmesan cheese but, add a lamb sauce and they’re on a whole other level!

The sauce is a blend of ground lamb and veal sautéed with sweet onion and garlic. Everything is simmered in a luscious tomato sauce accented with oregano and cinnamon. Not too fussy.

A bit of time is involved but the sauce can be made ahead a day or two ahead of time – and the flavors get better by the day.

Both the gnocchi and the sauce are surprisingly easy to make and both are utterly delicious. I’m still working on my gnocchi “rolling” technique but the taste is sublime!

For the Gnocchi:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, rinsed and dried but not peeled

2 extra-large egg yolks

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for baking the potatoes and salting the cooking water

½ to ¾ cup “00” pasta flour*, plus extra for kneading

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spread a layer of kosher salt over the foil, about 1 cup. Pierce the whole potatoes on all sides with a sharp knife and place on top of the salt. Bake at 400-degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft and cooked through. Time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.

Allow the potatoes to cool until you can easily handle them. Then scoop out the potato from the peel and press through a sieve or ricer to remove any lumps.

Measure out 2 cups of the potatoes, lightly packed and toss into a mixing bowl along with the two egg yolks and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix together until well blended.

Add the flour, starting with ½ cup, stirring together until the flour is worked into the potatoes.

If the dough still feels soft or wet, add the remaining flour to form a somewhat firm dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead the dough, folding and turning for a few minutes until it is smooth. Add additional flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch.

Pat the dough into a disc and divide into fourths. Take each section and roll into a long rope about ½” to ¾’ thick. Cut into ½” wide pieces and lightly roll across the tines on the back of a fork or a gnocchi paddle to create tiny grooves.

Place the gnocchi on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper that’s dusted with flour to prevent them from sticking. Continue cutting and rolling the remainder of the dough.

At this point you can flash freeze them on the baking sheet and bag them for later. They’ll keep for about 1 to 2 months frozen, cooking the gnocchi straight from the freezer. To cook the gnocchi, add water along with a handful of kosher salt to a wide stockpot. Bring the water to a simmer then add the gnocchi, giving them a stir so they don’t try and stick to the bottom. Once they all float to the top cook for two minutes, or until cooked through.

*“00” pasta flour is now widely available in the baking aisle of most markets or online. If you can’t find it, you can use 5 tablespoons all-purpose and 3 tablespoons cake flour.

To make the Lamb Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium sweet onion, chopped, about 1-½ cups

2 cloves garlic, chopped, about 1 teaspoon

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound ground veal

2-½ teaspoons dried oregano

1-¼ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

3 cups puréed tomatoes, 24-ounce jar

1 large can plum tomatoes, 28-ounces

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ tablespoon dark brown sugar

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.

Add the ground lamb and the ground veal along with the dried oregano, kosher salt, and pepper. Continue cooking over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Add the puréed tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

Break up the plum tomatoes and simmer the sauce partially covered over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

To serve:

Ladle sauce into the bottom of a pasta bowl, top with the cooked gnocchi and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 to 6.

To sauté in a butter sauce:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon or spider transfer the cooked gnocchi from the water to the butter. Sprinkle the black pepper over the top and cook for about 2 minutes.