Baked Gnocchi

Pat arranged to drive to DC this weekend to meet an old friend for some rounds of golf. Yesterday, he informed me he'd be leaving from work the following day (today). "Oh no!" I said. "That's a shame, because you'll miss me making gnocchi." Pat loves gnocchi.

He was sad, and I explained that I had thought he wouldn't be leaving till Thursday, so he would get to eat them. "Tomorrow IS Thursday," he said, and sure enough, it was. I felt a little sheepish, but the good news is that I froze half the gnocchi, so they'll show up on the table again at some point when he's around. [UPDATE as of 7 April: these did not unfreeze well. Don't freeze them!]

I made "Baked Gnocchi with Ricotta and Marinara," from Martha Stewart's website. The gnocchi really turned out well, I thought, and I was kind of impressed with myself.

Ricing the potatoes. Do you have a ricer? It is the bomb-diggity.

Mixing the dough

It takes some time to roll and cut and imprint a bunch of gnocchi, but my back-up dancer made that job go faster. I would say that the gnocchi weren't perfectly formed after they emerged from the boiling water, but as your mother would say, it doesn't matter what they look like in your stomach!

The dish on its way into the oven

I'm not sure Emma was thrilled with the final result, but she ate it. Who can explain the whims of a seven-year-old?

Final product

It's been a while since I have had a martini, dirty or otherwise. This really hit the spot tonight!