What do you eat for dinner on the 29th day of every month? If you live in Uruguay, the answer is probably gnocchi (pronounced “NYOH-kee”)–little potato dumplings that originated in Italy.
When I was serving in Uruguay as a missionary, I was really intrigued by this national dinner tradition. I learned that Uruguayans (many of whom have Italian heritage) serve gnocchi on the 29th because it’s an inexpensive, filling meal that helps their budget stretch until payday on the 30th.
It’s a frugal tradition, but also a celebratory one. If the family has any coins left over after buying the gnocchi ingredients, they place one under each diner’s plate. It’s an expression of gratitude that they have money to spare that month and can afford to be generous.
Streamlining a Classic Recipe
When I brainstormed frugal recipes for our Cheap Grocery Challenge last month, gnocchi were an obvious choice. The main ingredients are easy on the budget–just flour, salt, an egg, and a russet potato. I like to add some nutmeg and freshly-grated Parmesan for richer flavor, but you can skip those if you like.
This recipe is very similar to the one I learned back in Uruguay, but I’ve changed a couple things to make it more user friendly. For one thing, I save time by microwaving my potatoes instead of baking or boiling them. I also don’t shape my gnocchi after I cut them.
Traditional Italian gnocchi are rolled along a fork or a ridged board to give them a distinctive shape. While it would be fun to get that classic gnocchi look, I’ve never gotten the hang of how to do it. Even if I did, it would be a hassle to perform that little maneuver a hundred times every time I made gnocchi. And let’s face it—if a recipe is a hassle, I don’t make it.
So, my little gnocchi go unrolled, and I’m OK with that. My family is too, because gnocchi are delicious no matter what shape they are.
Pro Gnocchi Tips
If you’re new to gnocchi-making, I have a few tips for you.
- Don’t overwork your dough. Don’t mix or stretch the dough too much, or you’ll get tough gnocchi that don’t expand when you boil them. I find the best way to mix the dough is to repeatedly fold it over on itself and gently press it down.
- Have faith. When you add the flour, your gnocchi dough will look really crumbly, and you’ll wonder if it will ever come together. It will! Just keep folding and pressing, and before you know it, that crumbly mass will magically transform into gnocchi dough.
- Have fun! One of the great things about making gnocchi is that it’s a hands-on experience. With most recipes, you cut with a knife, you stir with a spoon, but you don’t actually touch the food very much. This recipe invites you to roll up your sleeves and get in touch with your inner preschooler as you roll out dough snakes and cut them into cute little gnocchi pillows.
If you’ve never made gnocchi before (or even if you have!), I encourage you to give this recipe a try. Pair it with a salad, or serve it as a side for baked chicken or fish.
Sometimes I serve half my gnocchi with browned butter, and the other half with meat sauce or homemade pesto, so it feels like I slaved over two dishes when I really just made one. 😉
- 1 russet potato (about 1 pound)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan
- dash nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
- 2 T butter
- 8 minced sage leaves (optional)
- Additional Parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Pierce the potato several times with a fork, then microwave it for 6 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, start a large pot of salted water boiling over low heat.
- Once the potato is done, cut it into eighths. When the potato sections are cool enough to handle, grate them using the large holes of a cheese grater. I hold each piece by the peel, grate the potato flesh into the grater, then discard the peel.
- Place the grated potato into a large mixing bowl (I just grate it into the bowl). Add the egg, Parmesan, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well.
- Sprinkle ½ cup of flour over the potato mixture. Repeatedly fold the mass over on itself and press down until the flour is worked into the dough. Mix in the second ½ cup of flour the same way.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about ¾ inch in diameter, then cut each rope into 1-inch-long pieces. They may seem small, but they’ll expand when you boil them. For now, sprinkle them with a little flour and let them dry a bit while you make the brown butter.
- Place butter in a skillet and melt over high heat. Cook, swirling it occasionally, until butter starts to turn light brown and smells a bit nutty. Stir in the sage leaves (if using), and remove from heat.
- Crank the heat up to high under your large pot of water, then add half the gnocchi to the pot. When they rise to the surface after a few minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the brown butter skillet. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Toss to coat with the browned butter, sprinkle with more Parmesan if desired, then serve immediately.
If your gnocchi dough doesn’t hold together when you roll it, or it turns to mush when you add it to boiling water, you may need to work a little more flour into your dough.
If you double this recipe, make sure to double the microwaving time.
