Cheddar Gnocchi with Oven Roasted Tomatoes
This post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery.
Necessity kind of fueled this one. Making gnocchi takes a little longer that some dishes, but is probably one of the simplest and satisfying dishes out there.
It looks like I will need a minor procedure sometime next week to put me out my misery. Well, until then I am confined to soft foods. And, I love potatoes. Actually this cheddar gnocchi is enriched with a generous about of sharp cheddar cheese and is held together with a little flour and an egg. So technically it would qualify as a breakfast dish.
My Cheddar Gnocchi Story
With making gnocchi, once you get the hang of it, it is really quite a simple affair. It is perfect therapy. It is however difficult to believe that something so sophisticated is so pantry and budget friendly.
Soothing, comforting, and takes your mind away from things that might otherwise bother you. In fact, these days, I have a lot of fun teaching gnocchi making.
The throat situation is diverting me from too many things. I tell you 2020 is truly turning out to be a year of trial and challenges. Today, instead of our usual family dinner, I settled for these cheesy gnocchi. The entire process took me an hour, so, what a rewarding hour.
But thankfully, this is why cooking with simple, flavorful and practical ingredients make such a difference. This gnocchi has a little more flour than the classic version here, but it softens when you add it to the sauce as the cheese melts.
As they say, good cheese makes everything better. The gluten and lactose free aged Cheddars are one of their many offerings, including a full line of cheeses, Greek yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter and whey protein.
How I cooked this
Simple easy steps, toss the gnocchi with the essential ingredients, almonds, herbs and roasted tomatoes and serve it right away.
You can use either sharp or extra sharp cheese for this. Since the household has a thing for assertive flavor our choice is extra sharp cheddar.
This gnocchi actually freezes very well, so you can make a large batch and set it aside in the freezer. This is a great dish to plan on a weekend, peaceful, satisfying and simple.
A beautiful easy to make flavorful take on Cheddar enriched gnocchi.
Ingredients
- 4 plum or roma tomatoes, cut into thirds
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 teaspoons salt divided
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
- 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup of Cabot Vermon Extra Sharp Cheddar grated (about one 8z package)
- 3/4 to 1 cup of all purpose flour, plus extra flour for dusting and shaping
- 3 tablespoons of Cabot butter
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped sage
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for about 20 minutes.
- In the meantime cover the potatoes with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Cool slightly and peel the potatoes. Allow them to cool slightly and grate the potatoes or push through a potato ricer.
- Spread out over a piece of parchment paper. Beat the egg and egg yolk and spread over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and the grated cheese. Lightly mix and shape together into a smooth mixture. Sprinkle with enough flour to hold the gnocchi together. I have been able to do this with 3/4 cup, but you can use up to a cup if needed.
- Divide into 4 parts. Shape each part into a long rope and cut into 1 inch pieces. Gently indent the pieces using a fork or a gnocchi roller.
- Place these on a separate sheet of paper. Allow the gnocchi to rest for about 20 minutes.
- Boil water in a large pot and place the gnocchi in the water. The gnocchi will float in about 2 minutes. Drain them in a colander.
- Heat the butter in a large pan (large enough to hold the gnocchi). Allow the butter to cook and brown gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the shallots and the sage cook for about 2 minutes add in the roasted tomatoes. The tomatoes are very soft and will melt into the butter. Stir in the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the sliced almonds and serve immediately.