Marcus Samuelsson’s Gnocchi

Marcus Samuelsson just seems like he is a sweet, cool guy.  He has an amazing life story and his food reflects how interesting he is. Chef Samuelsson was orphaned in a tuberculosis epidemic raging through his native Ethiopia when he was just three years old. After finding shelter in a Swedish field hospital, he and his young sister were adopted by a young Swedish couple. He started to learn how to cook at the age of six or seven. He studied at the Culinary Institute in Gotenborg and at various places in Switzerland and Austria before taking an eight-month internship at Aquavit in New York City. He then took a position at Georges Blanc in Lyon, France, a three-star Michelin restaurant. Most recently he was the winner of Top Chef Masters!

Marcus Samuelsson’s Gnocchi
Ingredients:
1 cup sea salt

2 Idaho potatoes (1/2 pound)
2 garlic cloves unpeeled, plus 1 garlic clove thinly sliced

2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove thinly sliced

3 teaspoons chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper








1.    Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2. Spread the sea salt on a baking sheet. Arrange the potatoes and the unpeeled garlic on the salt and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan and continue to roast the potatoes until very tender, about another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

3. Peel the potatoes and garlic and put them through a ricer into a medium bowl. Add the egg yolks, salt, and nutmeg to taste and mix well. Add the flour and knead until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough. (The more the dough is worked, the more flour you will need, resulting in heavier gnocchi.) Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

4.    On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half and roll each half into ½-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into ½-inch-long pieces and press the tines of a fork into each piece to make grooves in the surface. Place the gnocchi on a parchment-lined baking sheet lightly sprinkled with flour.  (At this point, you can divide the gnocchi into servings by arranging on pieces of plastic wrap dusted with flour. Wrap each serving in plastic wrap or place in zip-locked plastic bag and freeze).
  
5.    Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with water and ice cubes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, drop the gnocchi (fresh or frozen) into the water and summer until they float to the top, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and lace in the ice bath for 30 seconds.

6.    To reheat the gnocchi, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the gnocchi and the sliced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with chives and serve.

* I tossed it with some cherry tomatos and fennel


Delicious, and kid friendly too!