It’s Marathon Monday here in Boston, a day where the city pauses and the entire 26.2 mile race course is filled with cheering crowds. Today the weather for the marathon was abysmal, but that didn’t stop runners from charging ahead. Many folks in Boston have a specific intersection that they call their own for watching this race, but I’ve actually only started watching as an adult.  As a young kid we celebrated Patriots Day in Lexington and Concord where we watched reenactors hit the town green with their muskets, Paul Revere ride through town, and fife and drum bands march in unison. I’m so proud of my friend Carolyn for running this year – she is the definition of Boston Strong.

Gearing up for the race we made this pesto gnocchi on Friday night as we prepared for a weekend of marathon festivities. My experimental notes are here from the first time I ever made gnocchi in 2016, and they were incredibly helpful in recreating this dish.  Re-reading my original post reminded me that making gnocchi is all about feeling the dough and adjusting rather than precisely following a recipe.   

For this recipe I slow-baked the potatoes for 2 hours at 350. Then, I removed the potato and saved the skins for a quick appetizer.  I mashed the potatoes briefly with a fork and then drizzled egg yolks and some of the flour over them. A few more spoonfuls of flour brought the dough to a perfect state. Then, after rolling the dough into a log I cut off small pieces and boiled them until they floated.  Finally I placed them into a bowl with some pesto and the warm gnocchi melted the sauce into a creamy coating. This was a delightful dish that I will be sure to make again.

Pesto Gnocchi

• Servings: 5-6
• Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
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Homemade gnoochi requires a bit of research but the process is quite straightforward leading to a hearty and filling meal!

Ingredients

• 4 russet potatoes (about 1 pound each)
• 3 cups of white, unbleached flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup of pesto

Steps & Notes

1. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees for 2 hours placing them directly on the oven rack.
2. Cut the cooked potatoes in half and remove the potato (setting the skins aside).
3. Place the potatoes through a ricer or a food mill.
   • I don’t have one of these in my kitchen so I use a fork to gently mash the potatoes, but this does leave some chunks of potato and can risk over-working the potato which leads to a firmer final product. It is worth using a ricer if you have one.
4. Next, whisk together the 4 egg yolks, and drizzle over the potatoes.
5. Sift the flour in 1/4 cup batches and use your hands to gently knead into a dough. You may not use all of the flour, this is ok. You want the final dough to stick together but not be too wet.
6. Bring the dough into a large ball and cut a 1/5 piece and roll it into a long log. Cut off small gnocchi pieces.
7. Roll them over a ridger if you have one!
8. Place them into salted boiling water that has a bit of olive oil. Once they are floating, leave them in for about 15 more seconds and then remove to a bowl.
9. Add pesto to the bowl of warm gnocchi and mix well.
10. Serve warm with extra shaved parmesan on top.