BASIL GNOCCHI WITH SHEET PAN TOMATO

There’ve been a bunch of recipes for gnocchi lately that take ready-made, store-bought versions of the potato dumplings and roast them in the oven or sear them in a skillet to golden crispness. I can see why! The added texture makes the dumplings almost like tater tots—more appealing than the simply boiled gnocchi favored in the past. Our homemade wheat- and gluten-free gnocchi are paired with a simple sheet pan sauce that cooks while you make the dumpling dough. Once you’ve boiled the gnocchi, you’ve got lots of options: You can go the traditional route and stir and serve them with the sauce right away. You can quick fry them in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for the crispy-on-the-outside, tender inside modern version. Or you can cool or freeze them for service on another day.

For best results, the key in preparing gnocchi is to handle the dough as little as possible, folding and scraping the ingredients together, and kneading very little. Also? Have lots of fresh basil leaves on hand for service, and if you like, a bit of Parmigiano Reggiano.

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Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE GNOCCHI:
• 3 large Idaho russet potatoes (once baked and skinned the flesh will measure just under 4 cups)
• 1 cup, plus a little more as needed gluten- and wheat-free flour (I used King Arthur Measure for Measure 1:1 Gluten Free Flour)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, minced

FOR THE SHEET-PAN SAUCE (MAKES 1 ½ CUPS SAUCE):
• 2 pints red cherry tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• Large bunch of Mexican spring onions (Chambray onions) or regular scallions, white portion of onions only (save the green stalks for something else). Whites of onions sliced to make 1 cup
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves

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INSTRUCTIONS

BAKE THE POTATOES:
With oven rack in center position, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed sheet pan, pour 2 cups of kosher salt in center of the pan. Level salt and place all three russet potatoes on top of it, leaving about 2 inches between each potato. Place sheet pan in oven and bake for 1-½ hours. Pull potatoes from oven. Scrape off salt and cut each potato in half. Using a knife, score the flesh of each half as you would a mango. Flip each half over on a cooling rack and let rest for ½ hour while you make the sauce.

MAKE SAUCE:
While potatoes cool, make sauce. Toss the two pints of cherry tomatoes with the sliced scallion whites, chopped garlic, and olive oil. Spread in center of a rimmed sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (While sauce roasts, make gnocchi dough below.) After the 20 minutes at 350 degrees, turn heat up to broil and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until tomato skins begin to blacken. Remove from oven. Slip off and discard tomato skins. Combine tomato flesh and roasted scallion whites and garlic in a bowl. Mash with fork to break up tomatoes a bit more. Set aside.

MAKE GNOCCHI DOUGH:
Discard potato skins. Press the flesh of the cooled baked potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Mound riced potatoes on a clean work surface. Whisk three egg yolks together and drizzle these over the potatoes. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour over the mound and using a pasta scraper or metal spatula, begin scraping, folding, and cutting the flour and egg into the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining 2/3 cup of flour. Sprinkle with chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Scrape and fold again. Knead minimally into a cohesive lump of dough. Place a large kettle with 5 quarts of water over medium-high heat. Stir in 4 Tbsp salt. Heat to boiling while you shape dumplings.

SHAPE GNOCCHI:
Cut a small section of dough off and roll into a rope about ½ inch in diameter. Cut rope into 1-inch pieces. Working one at a time, hold a dumpling in your hand and, using the back of a fork, pull the tines of the fork across the dumpling to make an impression. Place dumpling on a parchment-lined sheet pan and continue process until you have made all the dumplings.

MAKE ICE WATER:
Nest a colander into a large bowl of ice water in your sink.

BOIL GNOCCHI:
Slide ½ of the gnocchi into the boiling water. When the gnocchi rise to the surface (about 1 ½ minutes), use a slotted spoon to remove gnocchi and place in ice water to stop cooking. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Cover counter with double thickness of parchment. Drain water from gnocchi. Spread cooked gnocchi on parchment.

TO SERVE:
Either combine cooked gnocchi with sauce in a skillet over medium heat and stir until hot. Garnish with basil. Or, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat and sauté gnocchi, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Place in serving dishes. Add generous dollops of sauce. Garnish with basil.

TO SERVE LATER:
Place cooked, cooled gnocchi in a covered container and freeze.