Gnocchi: An Enchanted Potato Dumpling

Enchantment happens.  Serendipity is often part of it – the happy chance discovery.

I woke up one night at my cabin with need to go to the bathroom. My cabin is a simple shelter without electricity or pluming. Upon stepping outside to relieve my self I found the surrounding darkness gently illuminated by hundreds of fireflies. Enchanting.

It’s the magic of place which can be intoxicatingly joyful. I unexpectedly stumbled into an enchanting place while Christmas shopping for my sister, the Wisconsin Cheese Mart. I had in mind a modest selection of award winning Wisconsin cheese that they could share with their Austin, Tex., friends. Hook’s 15 year cheddar was on my list. They had it. I Left with that and three other fine award winning cheeses.

What I expected was a sterile and pricey cheese store. What I wandered into was something else altogether. I found an enchanting Wisconsin cheese bar. These are wonderful combination of cheese store and tavern. These little slices of heaven, plunked down on earth, are sparsely scattered across Wisconsin and far more sparsely scattered elsewhere. My first such encounter with a cheese bar was in tiny Monroe, Wis., at Baumgartner’s. That was just last year. To find a similar place in Milwaukee was a surprise. It has been here forever. I’ve been here forever. How could I’ve not known?  

In Baumgartner’s everyone was happy. Everyone was intoxicated on everyone’s happiness. Such is enchantment and such is heaven. That’s how it was at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart.

Now on to the heavenly gnocchi, I never knew mashed potatoes could be so good. The small reception following my brother’s ordination was enchanting. It was served by Filippo Russo at Da Filippo’s Ristorante in Somerset, NJ. Filippo served seven or eight courses, paired with an appropriate wine, over the course of three or four hours. Magnificent.

One of those courses was gnocchi. Oh my goodness, these were delicately light, flavorful, small pillow shaped potato dumplings. I’ve been trying to duplicate this goodness since. It’s close but not perfect.

Here’s how it goes:    

1 Large Baking Potato, pealed, boiled and riced.

¼ Cup Heavy Cream or Ricotta Cheese

2 Tbs butter

1 Egg

¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup ± Semolina or All Purpose Flour                                                                          

Rice the boiled potato while hot and thoroughly mix in the 2 table spoons of butter. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg then add the ricotta cheese or cream. Combine the egg mixture and parmesan cheese with the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour until the mix becomes a dough that can be rolled. Roll into ½“ diameter strands, or logs. Cut the logs into one inch segments. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil. Boil the raw gnocchi for 10 or 15 minutes. Drain and bake the gnocchi on a non-stick cookie sheet for anther 15 minutes in a 350⁰ oven. Serve with a generous topping of butter sautéed garlic. Serves four.