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    Home » Wild Herbs and Spices

    Traditional Potato Gnocchi with Herbs

    Published: Apr 3, 2021 Modified: Feb 16, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I love a good bowl of gnocchi, and after you master the basic method, it can be nice to play with simple additions to the dough. A generous blend of freshly picked herbs is one of the simplest and most delicious I know of, and you can play around with all kinds of fun combinations to make your own blend with what's growing. 

    Wild herb gnocchi recipe

    Herb gnocchi tips

    Herbs 

    I generally add only soft herbs to gnocchi like this, but, if you have a little rosemary, sage, or thyme, you could add a very small amount (start with a teaspoon) in combination with more soft/delicate herbs like parsley and chives. 

    I like to add a lot of alliums, things like wild onion greens, finely chopped ramp leaves, seeds, or flowers, usually about 50% of the total volume. 

    Wild onions
    My little patch of wild onions.

    The biggest blend of herbs in small amounts will give the most interesting flavor. If you can taste a soft melange of herbs when you eat them, but have trouble picking out exactly what they are-that's a good sign you did a good job. The sum should be greater than the parts, so to speak. 

    Technique 

    Wild herb gnocchi recipe
    After flouring and rolling the gnocchi, I typically freeze them for storage.
    Wild herb gnocchi recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Traditional Potato Gnocchi with Herbs

    Simple gnocchi flavored with herbs of your choice.
    Prep Time45 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time1 hr 15 mins
    Course: Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Gnocchi
    Servings: 6 Servings
    Calories: 185kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 gnocchi board optional
    • 1 potato ricer optional

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 lb russet potatoes
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs greatest variety possible
    • Zest of half a medium-sized lemon or to taste
    • 4 large egg yolks
    • ¾ cup all purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough

    Instructions

    • Steam the potatoes for 30 minutes or until very tender, alternately you can simmer them gently until they can be pierced with a knife, but don’t over cook them.
    • Remove the potatoes to a bowl to cool.
    • Peel the potatoes, cutting thin slices off with a knife. Discard the skins, then rice the potato, moving quickly to not let them cool down.
    • Mix the riced potato with the egg yolk, salt, zest and herbs, tasting a little to gauge if you want a little more of this or that.
    • Gently mix in (don’t knead) the flour to make a dough, then roll the dough into logs about ¾ inch in diameter, cut into small morsels, toss gently with flour and roll off a gnocchi board onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
    • From here the gnocchi can be cooked straight away, or frozen for storage and cooked directly from the freezer.
    • Freeze the gnocchi until rock solid, then transfer to a zip top bag until needed.

    To cook gnocchi from frozen

    • To cook the gnocchi from frozen, bring a large pasta pot (at least 1 gallon or preferably more) of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, add the gnocchi, stir, cover the pan to help it heat up quickly, bring it back to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and wait for the gnocchi to float, with the lid on to trap the heat.
    • After the gnocchi float, allow them to cook for 1 minute more, then remove to the pan with your sauce, or toss in a bowl.

    Par cooking gnocchi

    • Alternately, rinse the gnocchi in warm water to remove starch, drain, toss with oil, and keep in the fridge spread out on a tray in a single layer covered with cling film for a couple hours to par cook them, then slip them into a sauce and heat through. Par cooked gnocchi in the fridge will get gummy if left overnight.

    Notes

    The herbs you choose will have a big impact on the flavor. Just be careful not to use herbs that are too strong. Here's a few examples of herbs I like in this. 
    Tarragon, chervil, fresh thyme or lemon thyme, lovage, sorrel, chives and mint are some of my favorites. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 174IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
    Rabbit ragu with wild herb gnocchi
    With rabbit ragu.
    « Rabbit Ragu with Foraged Herb Gnocchi
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. John Rhoe

      December 17, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      Gnocchi are little bundles of joy. With brown butter and some hard cheese, I’m fed!

      Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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