Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Delicious and easy gnocchi is one of mine and my husband’s favorite kinds of pasta.

Ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups vegetable marinara
1 ½ pounds fresh Italian sausage

Technique

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups near boiling water.

Make a well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil and set aside.

Cut the Italian sausage into 1 inch sections and place in sauté pan.  Adding a small amount of water to the bottom to prevent sticking/burning cook sausage thoroughly or until crispy brown.  Add sauce right before serving.  Pour sausage/marinara mixture over gnocchi and serve.   Buon appetito!!

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