Potato Gnocchi
Date Completed: 3/30/2025
Book: The Tucci Cookbook by Stanley Tucci with Joan and Stan Tucci, Gianni Scappin, and Mimi Taft
Chapter: Pasta
Overall Score: 9/12
Recommended? This one comes recommended by Chef G himself! The Tucci Cookbook is actually his book. You may have caught a glimpse of these in the leftover report from the last post, which featured that peach sauce I was (am) so in love with. Here, we tossed them in a fun pesto. Check out the rest of the post for Garrett’s tips. His most important message to you: “I gnocchi you can do it!”
Process Report:
Process Score: 2 - Quite Involved
I was actually doing homework for most of this process, so here’s what Garrett learned:
The first thing you do is peel and boil the potatoes. The recipe says to cook them whole, which Garrett thinks is unnecessary. He recommends you chop them into smaller pieces and boil them until completely cooked through. He had to wait 35 minutes for the whole potatoes to boil, and they still had some less cooked parts in the center, which he didn’t love.
Once the potatoes are cooked, you mash them on a cutting board and allow them to cool slightly. Then, the recipe instructs you to form them into a small mound with a “well” at the center. You add beaten eggs and seasonings inside the well and flour around the border, using your hands to combine.
In no great shock, Garrett did not find this step either enjoyable or valuable. His note: “If you don’t well, I won’t tell.” He thinks it would be much easier to just combine everything in a bowl!
After the dough comes together, you divide it into four equal pieces. Each piece gets rolled into a long rope that you cut into the individual gnocchi!
This is the step I joined for! I tried shaping a few on the back of a fork, which was fun, even if a little time-consuming! By the third and fourth ropes, I was cutting them into pieces only and not doing any shaping.
If you’re cooking right away, you toss them in boiling, salted water and cook until they float. This takes just a few minutes!
If you’re saving some for later, you can place the uncooked gnocchi on a sheet tray and freeze them. I transferred them to a freezer bag after this step. They can be boiled straight from the freezer, too. So convenient!
Taste Report:
Taste Score: 2 - So Good
The thing that surprised us most about the gnocchi was the addition of nutmeg to the dough! It brings a spicy, comforting flavor note that we didn’t expect. Granted, that might be completely traditional and just a blind spot in our prior gnocchi knowledge. Nevertheless, they paired extraordinarily well with the peach white wine sauce. A match made in heaven!
The second time we made the gnocchi (straight from the freezer!), we did a riff on a holiday pesto we first made last Thanksgiving. It’s a pistachio-based pesto with rosemary, sage, and thyme. I accidentally used the only lemon we had the day before, so I threw in a little white wine vinegar instead. This was also a great flavor combination!
Stanley recommended simply tossing them with butter or tomato sauce. We’ll try those options in the future!
Mess Report:
Mess Score: 2 - Moderate
There weren’t too many dishes created from this recipe! Just a big, floury board to clean up after working with the dough.
Here’s the before and after shots side-by-side!
When you’re making them from the freezer later, they earn the top 3 - Minimal score on the mess report!
Leftover Report:
Leftover Score: 3 - Feast
I love how the gnocchi can be flash-frozen because that means you get to cook them fresh whenever you want them! This also means you can try them with a bunch of different sauces. Unless you’re making them all for one big dinner party, I love this as a fun and quick weeknight side dish option.
We gnocchi you will love them, too!