This recipe combines so many of my favorite things; potatoes, sage, mushrooms, garlic.  The gnocchi are pillowy and soft with a hint of sage.  The mushrooms are woodsy and pretty much fabulous.  The sauce is garlicy, smooth, creamy, and salty…I would drink it, but that’s just gross.

If you don’t want to make enough for six servings, freezing the gnocchi makes a great 5 minute meal in a pinch.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet, lay uncooked gnocchi in a single row, and put in the freezer until cold and they begin freezing.  Remove pan from the freezer and dump the gnocchi into a ziplock bag and return to freezer for future use.  Ready to boil and eat!

Ingredients:

Gnocchi

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer until potatoes are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, add almond milk, bullion cube, garlic, cashews, sage, and earth balance to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for five minutes. Pour sauce into a blender and mix on high until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and simmer over medium low or low heat uncovered until thickened, approximately ten minutes then remove from heat and set aside. Add a pinch of salt to taste if needed.

3. When the potatoes are done, drain. Clear a countertop with plenty of workspace. Put each potato through a ricer. If you don’t have a ricer, simply place the potatoes on the counter and mash with a potato masher until there are no chunks left. Let the potatoes cool a bit, enough so that you can touch them and not burn your hands. Sprinkle flour, sage, and salt over the potatoes and knead with your hands until a soft dough forms. Do not over knead. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let rest for ten minutes.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting for it to begin boiling, sauté the mushrooms. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic, stirring the garlic for two to three minutes. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté until mushrooms a soft and begin to crisp.

5. After the dough has rested, divide into four sections. Roll out each section into long cigars approximately an inch in diameter. Cut gnocchi pieces to desired length, mine varied from one to two inches. If you want to get fancy and have a bit of time, roll the gnocchi over the back of a floured fork to get the pretty ridges of a traditional gnocchi. Once the pot of water is boiling, place gnocchi in the water to cook, they will sink to the bottom. As soon as the gnocchi begin floating, they are done cooking, approximately two minutes. Remove the gnocchi when ready and place in a colander. Quickly rinse with cold water to remove any stickiness.

6. Optional: I like to sear my gnocchi to get a nice color and a bit of a crisp. It adds some color and texture to the dish. Simply bring a sauté pan to heat over medium high, add olive oil and add a few gnocchi at a time. After one side achieves a golden brown, turn over and repeat. It is important not to add too many at a time, otherwise they will stick to each other.

7. Combine gnocchi and mushrooms in a serving dish and top with sauce. Garnish with fresh sage and serve.

(Serves 6)

Did you make this recipe?
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