Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Ragu' and Hazelnuts

With all of the many, many recipes we've attempted over the almost 20 years of cooking together we've never attempted to make potato gnocchi, even though we are both big fans and especially G.

When we came across this recipe it just sort of called to us how could we go wrong; potato gnocchi, wild mushrooms, hazelnuts and browned butter = PURE YUM.

So we gave it a go. The wild mushroom sauce with the toasted hazelnuts were a perfectly comforting combination. A great combo for a fall evening. Now the texture of homemade potato gnocchi just didn't seem right to us. We are not sure, too fibrous or too watery, we can't exactly pin point it but they just weren't the right texture. We'll have to try again in the future.

RECIPE:

Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Ragu' and Hazelnuts (from Food & Wine Magazine)

GNOCCHI

Four 1/2-pound baking potatoes, pierced all over with a fork

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

RAGÙ

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme and chervil

Kosher salt 

Pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 pound mixed mushrooms, such as oyster, cremini and stemmed shiitake, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

Finely chopped skinned toasted hazelnuts, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE GNOCCHI Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack for about 1 hour or until tender. Transfer to a work surface and let cool slightly. Halve the potatoes lengthwise. Scoop the flesh into a ricer and rice the potatoes. Spread the riced potatoes on a work surface and let cool completely. Discard the skins. 

On the work surface, gather the riced potatoes into a loose mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and salt to the well. Sift the flour on top and, using a bench scraper, mix everything together until a dough forms. Knead gently until smooth; the dough will be slightly sticky. 

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. On a floured work surface, cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch lengths. Roll the gnocchi against the tines of a fork or a gnocchi paddle to make ridges; transfer to the prepared baking sheet. 

MAKE THE RAGÙ In a small bowl, blend the butter with the mixed herbs. Season the herb butter with salt and pepper. 

In a very large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced fennel and shallots and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just starting to soften,3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the mushrooms are coated in a light sauce, 3 to5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the herb butter. Season the ragù with salt and pepper; keep warm.

 

In a large saucepan of salted simmering water, working in2 batches, cook the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. ºUsing a slotted spoon, transfer to shallow bowls or a platter. 

Spoon the ragù over the gnocchi and top with chopped hazelnuts, shredded pecorino and fennel fronds. Serve right away.