Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
This Gnocchi made from scratch, sautéed with a little butter and sage is pure comfort food! Come learn how to roll gnocchi with a simple gnocchi video tutorial and try this super simple recipe for gnocchi with brown butter and sage.
Making Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
Before you scan this recipe and think to yourself, Eh, that’s way too much work, let me assure you that making gnocchi from scratch is much less complicated than it seems.
I myself always liked the idea of homemade gnocchi, but I wrote it off as something that required loads of time and equipment.
It’s true, making gnocchi does take a bit of extra time.
But it’s no harder than making fresh pasta, and it doesn’t require any special tools.
In fact I made a video for you, demonstrating how to roll the gnocchi off of a fork if you don’t have a gnocchi board. So you have no excuse.
What You’ll Need to Make this Recipe
For the Gnocchi:
- Russet Potatoes
- Eggs
- Lemon Zest
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
For the Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- Butter
- Salt
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Fresh Sage
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Parmesan Cheese
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this brown butter sage gnocchi, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Roll Gnocchi
It’s very simple once you learn the technique of pushing and rolling the pieces of dough! And it is a task perfect for older kids and teens to help with!
There are two ways to roll gnocchi to get the classic indentations: using the back side of a fork or using wooden gnocchi boards.
You might not have a gnocchi board, but everyone has a fork! I’ll share step-by-step instructions for both ways below:
How to Roll Gnocchi with a Gnocchi Board
- Lightly dust a gnocchi board with flour.
- Position the pieces of dough at the top of a gnocchi board with the cut edge against the board.
- Gently press down with the side of your thumb on the upper edge of the pillow, and smoothly roll it down the board. Dust in between uses as needed to prevent sticking.
- Repeat until you have used all of the dough.
How To Roll Gnocchi with a Fork
- First, cut the dough into approximately 3/4 inch wide pieces. You can always cook the pieces as is without rolling them, but it is fun (and traditional) to roll the gnocchi to get the indentions on each piece.
- After you have cut the bite sized pieces, roll the pieces off of the back of a fork to form the indentions, pressing lightly so that you don’t smash or flatten each piece of gnocchi.
- Place the gnocchi onto a parchment-lined baking sheet as you finish each piece.
- Repeat the steps until you have rolled all the gnocchi.
Watch this gnocchi video tutorial below to see how it’s done:
Making Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salted to taste.
- Place a colander in a large bowl and set aside.
- Drop about 1/4 of the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until it floats to the top, about 1-2 minutes.
- Scoop the gnocchi out of the pot with a slotted spoon and place in the colander to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
Once you boil up your gnocchi, you can take it to the next level by frying it with a bit of butter and sage. This Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage is comfort food to the max!
Recipe Tips
- Using a potato ricer ensures fluffy lump-free gnocchi.
- Weighing the riced potatoes is essential for proper proportion of potato to flour. A kitchen scale works great for this!
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour. Standard measuring cups don’t measure as accurately as needed for this recipe.
- Bake, don’t boil, the potatoes. Boiled potatoes will turn out “wetter,” and result in gnocchi dough that is more gummy.
Serving this Brown Butter Gnocchi
Browned butter can be used in sweet and savory recipes to add an incredible depth of flavor to even the simplest dishes. This tutorial will explain How to Brown Butter and provide my top tips and tricks for success!
Try this Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage!
Next time you’re looking for a fun and interesting recipe to try, give this Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi a try!
Did you love making and rolling gnocchi? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this great recipe.
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Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
Gnocchi made from scratch, sauted with a little butter and sage.
Ingredients
For the Gnocchi:
- 2 pounds Russet Potatoes
- 1 Large Egg
- ¾ teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 4 ounces All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for the counter
- 1 teaspoon Salt
For the Browned Butter Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 10 Fresh Sage Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Recipe Prep
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and dust them with flour using a fine mesh strainer.
- Set aside.
Preparing the Potatoes
- Wash the potatoes, removing any dirt or debris on the outside. Then, pierce all over with a fork or knife. Bake or microwave until soft.
- After cooking, set aside until cool enough to handle, but still warm.
- When the potatoes are room temperature, remove the peels and discard them.
- Then, press the potatoes through a potato ricer until you have 16 ounces of riced potatoes.
To make the Gnocchi Dough:
- Add the egg to a mixing bowl and lightly beat. Stir in the lemon zest.
- Then, transfer the 16 ounces of riced potatoes to the bowl with the egg.
- Incorporate the egg into the riced potatoes with a fork - just until combined.
- Add the flour and salt to the potato mixture and gently stir with a fork, making sure no dry flour remains.
- Combine the gnocchi dough into a ball, then transfer to a floured workspace and knead until the dough is slightly sticky, but smooth, adding additional flour to the workspace as needed to prevent sticking while you knead.
Rolling the Gnocchi
- Divide dough into 8 sections.
- Add additional flour to the counter, then roll each of the 8 sections of dough into a ¾-inch thick rope.
- Dust each rope with flour, then cut into ¾-inch pieces.
- Lightly dust a gnocchi board with flour.
- Position the pieces of dough at the top of a gnocchi board with the cut edge against the board.
- Gently press down with the side of your thumb on the upper edge of the pillow, and smoothly roll it down the board. Dust in between uses as needed to prevent sticking.
- Repeat until you have used all of the dough, transferring each piece of rolled gnocchi to the prepared baking sheets.
Cooking the Gnocchi
- Add 1 tablespoon of salt to a large pot of water. Bring the water to boil while you let the rolled gnocchi rest.
- Place a colander in a large bowl and set aside.
- Drop about half of the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until it floats to the top, about 1 - 2 minutes.
- Scoop the gnocchi out of the pot with a slotted spoon and place in the colander to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
To make the browned butter sauce:
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the butter to the hot pan, stirring constantly as it melts; cook the butter for an additional 2 - 4 minutes.
- Once the butter has just begun browning, add the salt, and crushed red pepper, stirring to combine.
- Then, increase the heat to medium-high and add the gnocchi and sage leaves
- Cook, stirring gently every once in a while, until the sage has wilted and the gnocchi is lightly browned, about 3 - 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, stirring gently to combine. Then remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Serving the Gnocchi
- Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Using a potato ricer ensures fluffy lump-free gnocchi.
- Weighing the riced potatoes is essential for proper proportion of potato to flour. A kitchen scale works great for this!
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour. Standard measuring cups don't measure as accurately as needed for this recipe.
- Bake, don't boil, the potatoes. Boiled potatoes will turn out "wetter," and result in gnocchi dough that is more gummy.
Rolling Gnocchi Without a Gnocchi Board
- Hold a fork with the prongs facing downward in one hand.
- Press a piece of gnocchi dough, with the cut side on top of the fork prongs.
- Roll the dough down the prongs to shape ridges on the sides.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
Katrina @ WVS says
I love this! Gnocchi is so delicious and yours looks perfect!