Gnocchi with Guanciale and Goat’s Cheese
Moving on from the letter F, we now land on the letter G to give us some good inspiration on a pasta dish to make, and I cannot think of a better pasta dish starting with G than the light and fluffy potato pillows otherwise known as gnocchi.
Gnocchi might seem like one of those restaurant dishes that only chefs at five star restaurants in Italy can make, but actually gnocchi is one of the quickest and arguably easiest forms of pasta you can possibly make, and I’m going to elevate it with some wonderful ingredients like goat’s cheese, guanciale, and peas.
As Tony the tiger would say, it’ll be grrrreat!
Serves 4
For the Gnocchi:
4 large russet potatoes
1/2 cup crumbled plain goat’s cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
For Serving:
8 oz guanciale (Pancetta works, but I wanted to keep with a G theme), rind cut off and sliced into thin strips
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup crumbled plain goat’s cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
(You could boil your potatoes, but I like the flavor you get when you bake them)
Heat the oven to 375 F/190 C. Jab your potatoes all over with a fork, then bake for 65-75 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them, then cut them open and scoop out the flesh. Either mash the potatoes with a fork or pass through a ricer, then combine with both cheeses and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then beat until combined. (It’s a good idea to taste this for seasoning now before you add the eggs).
Add the eggs, beat until smooth, then add the flour and continue mixing until a tacky dough forms.
(You’ll know there’s enough flour when the dough just starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and doesn’t stick as easily)
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface, then use your hands to gently knead the dough into a smooth ball. Divide and roll the dough into 1-inch thick logs, then use a floured knife to cut the logs into 1/2-inch thick pieces.
Bring a wide saucepan of salted water to a simmer, not boil, and lower your gnocchi into the water. Wait about 5 minutes for the gnocchi to float to the surface of the water, then drain.
While the gnocchi cooks, cook the guanciale in a wide nonstick pan over medium heat until the fat renders and the guanciale starts becoming crispy. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon, then add the gnocchi to the reserved fat and cook for about 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the gnocchi are browned on all sides.
Add the butter and continue tossing to coat the gnocchi in that hot melted butter. Stir in the rendered guanciale and peas, cook for a final two minutes to warm the peas through, season to taste, then serve, topping with goat’s cheese and the sliced green onions.
