Lately I've been trying out various gnocchi recipes as these potato dumplings are a nice carbohydrate variation from our typical beans, potatoes, pasta or rice. I already make nice conventional dumplings of other types, like the wide heavy ones I make for chicken and dumplings and the puffy variety I make for pork and sauerkraut and dumplings.
I've had a boss recipe for years using boiled/drained gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce but my sweetheart, Peggy, wanted me to try something other than a cream sauce. Thus, I found this recipe on the Internet and modified it considerably to amp it up in flavor and in amount of meat, making it essentially an entree rather than a side dish.
The best part for me is that the gnocchi are fried in this recipe and I confess to having a real weakness for certain fried foods ... especially when they have bacon seasoning.
A side salad goes well with this meal to provide complementary taste, texture and temperature. Some crusty warm rolls with butter (or roasted head of garlic and olive oil) might be nice too. You may also enjoy a light, medium dry white wine like chilled Pinot Grigio. Cold beer is also a good beverage choice. A light fruit gelato makes a nice meal accompaniment dessert.
Ingredients: (2 generous or 3 regular servings)
1 lb. package of gnocchi
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, fried and later broken up into 1/2 inch size pieces
4, 1 1/2 to 2 oz. raw breakfast sausage patties finely crumbled
5 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium size onion thinly sliced (about 2 cups of slices)
3/4 cup of frozen peas
2 tsp. of minced fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp. of dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. of finely ground Sea salt
1/4 tsp. of ground Black pepper
1/2 cup (or more) of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Make any side dishes and/or dessert that you plan to serve with this meal first. Chill the wine (optional).
Pre-warm a two quart serving dish and the plates or bowls you will use when you serve the pan fried gnocchi in a 200 degrees F warming oven. If you are serving rolls it is nice to warm them too.
Grate enough Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to make 1/2 cup or more of grated cheese. Set it aside.
Bring a two quart saucepan half filled with salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi at a low boil until all of it floats at the surface of the boiling water.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water in a small cup. Drain the gnocchi in a large sieve and then set them aside in a bowl.
Fry the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy (but not burnt) on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel and set it aside. Pour off and discard most of the melted bacon fat from the skillet. Wipe the edge of the skillet to avoid having any melted fat on the outside surface of the skillet.
Add 3 tbsp. of the olive oil to the skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onion slices and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are limp and turning light brown in color, about 5 minutes more.
Stir in the peas and the thyme, heat for about two minutes, season the mixture with the salt and pepper and then transfer the mixture to a one quart bowl.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Then add the crumbled raw breakfast sausage patty pieces and fry the sausage meat for about three minutes while lightly stirring until it starts to become crisp.
Use a slotted spoon to remove/drain the oil back into the skillet from the fried sausage pieces as you remove them, and add the drained sausage pieces to the onion mixture bowl.
Add the gnocchi to the skillet and cook them on medium high heat, stirring occasionally to brown them on both sides, until they’re lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
Break up the cooled fried bacon while the gnocchi are frying and add it to the onion mixture bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to the onion mixture bowl.
Stir in the onion mixture along with 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water, then mix gently to moisten and coat the gnocchi. If necessary, add more of the reserved cooking water and mix briefly.
Cook for two to three minutes on medium heat with light stirring, then put the completed entree into the pre-warmed two quart serving dish.
Serve the fried gnocchi entree hot immediately, with the top sprinkled with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Enjoy! You and your guests will love this gnocchi dish.