Mashed Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Tomato Sauce

The last time I made pasta from scratch was for my culinary school final exam a little over three years ago. Let’s just say I was having an off day in the kitchen and my evening didn’t go nearly as planned. I made it through with a slightly bruised ego, but I hadn’t made fresh pasta since then until conquering this potato gnocchi a few weeks ago. Though part of my pasta-making hiatus was due to my final exam experience, a much larger reason was because of the amount of work that goes into rolling out noodles. Sometimes it can be a breeze—and other times your worst nightmare. Thankfully, gnocchi are much easier to prepare and a bit more forgiving. I came across a recipe for making gnocchi using leftover mashed potatoes some time ago and thought that was genius! I used one from Martha Stewart as my launchpad for the recipe listed below. It being a while since I last made gnocchi—or any other pasta by hand—these might not have been the prettiest things in the world, but they were quite delicious. I loved the brightness provided by the lemon zest in the recipe, and the pasta went well with a simple, fresh tomato sauce and some Parmesan cheese. I also happened to have purple mashed potatoes on hand, which is the reason for the color.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Yield: 2 servings

Procedure:

1. Add the potatoes, flour, egg yolk, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until evenly incorporated. If the dough is wet and sticks to your hands, add more flour to the mixture. (The amount of flour will vary based on the amount of moisture in your mashed potatoes.) Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and dust lightly with flour.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pieces of the dough into logs about the thickness of a nickel. Cut into pieces about 1 inch long and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season heavily with salt.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Crush the tomatoes lightly with the back of a wooden spoon and bring to a simmer.
4. Cook the gnocchi in the salted boiling water until they float to the top, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the simmering tomato sauce and continue to cook for about 1 minute more. Divide between bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

And in a twist of fate, I’ll now be the one judging the culinary final exam tonight. It’ll be nice being on the other side of the table this time.