I’ve got a fantastic Toasted Gnocchi recipe for you today, that will hopefully help you looks at these little pillows of potato fluff in a whole new light. By gently toasting them in a skillet with meaty mushrooms and fried lemons, you get a world of textures and flavors with very little effort. Read on for more, or just jump ahead to the recipe itself.
For the love of Toasted Gnocchi
I suppose this is somewhat of a hot take, but I’m not the biggest fan of gnocchi. When I try making it from scratch, it never turns out even remotely as good as I want/hope/need it to, and sometimes I find gnocchi recipes to be lacking in texture and well, interest. That sounds pretentious, yes, but tis the truth … what can I say? But people just love gnocchi – it graces many a restaurant’s menu and I see recipes for gnocchi this! and gnocchi that! popping up on my various social media feeds all the time.
So, I thought I’d put my negative Nancy attitude away for awhile and try my hand at a gnocchi recipe that would better float my boat. So, today’s post is a result of said trying and let me tell you – the boat is floating quite nicely, if you know what I’m saying … this Toasted Gnocchi & Mushrooms with Lemony Fried Hazelnuts is all the things I want my gnocchi to be, and more.
We’ve got crunchy, we’ve got salty, we’ve got buttery, earthy, garlicky, and fresh – it’s many things to many people, this gnocchi, and what’s more … it’s incredibly simple to prepare. We love this.
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi, if you’re unfamiliar, are little more than Italian-style, pillowy soft dumplings made from cooked potatoes and flour. So, like pasta, they really do live and die by their presentation. HOW and WHAT you serve these little potato dumplings with is where the real make-or-break of it all happens. That’s where things start getting interesting. Or not.
I honestly didn’t even realize how opinionated I am about gnocchi until I dove into the recipe testing phase of this post – no idea. But alas, such is the case. I’ve got some hot takes on the stuff, apparently. But I’ve learned that by incorporating different flavors and textures into the dish, along with the gnocchi, I tend to better appreciate the characteristics of gnocchi that previously turned me off from the stuff (soft, gummy, paste-like, bland).
Gnocchi, also like pasta, really is a vehicle for flavor. And flavor it we shall.
Toasted Gnocchi RECIPE NOTES
This is a simple and straightforward recipe, needing very little by way of recipe notes. But I”ll break it down a little bit for you here anyway.
Here’s the rundown
Today we’re going to toast up our cooked gnocchi in some salty butter, along with slices of lemon and some (also buttery) hazelnuts. The lemons will slowly release their oils and juices as they pan-fry in the mixture of olive oil and butter, a wonderful thing to be sure. Incidentally, I use a mix of both olive oil and butter because the oil makes it possible to cook at higher temperatures, and the butter brings the flavor. Hazelnuts naturally taste like browned, toasty butter – so the pairing just works.
After their quick rendezvous in the pan, the gnocchi seem to have been given a beautiful, glamorous makeover – their skins are now lemony and buttery and salty and slightly toasted – a near perfect food description if you ask me.
As for the mushrooms, they’re there to give some additional oomph to the dish – a meaty counterpart to the fluffy, gnocchi, that also taste incredible with lemon. I don’t see mushrooms paired too often with lemon but the combo is absolutely wonderful. It just comes back to the balancing act, really, as the earthy, woodsy mushrooms counteract the bright acidity of the lemons and they play so well together, they really do.
At the last second, just before serving it up, I like to throw in a few handfuls of some fresh, peppery greens or chicories – arugula and frisee are my favorites – but that’s optional and I will leave that part up to you.
No special sauce is required here – the butter, olive oil, and fried lemon will flavor everything very simply and effectively, but I do like to squeeze some fresh (un-fried) lemon over the dish at the end, and an extra drizzle of olive oil, the combination of which essentially creates a simple, perfect dressing. Finish with a final shower of shaved parmesan and you’re good to go.
This is great as a simple meat-free meal, or wonderful alongside The Perfect Steak …
If you like the looks of this Toasted Gnocchi recipe , you might also enjoy:
Pan Roasted Salmon with Gnocchi and Mozzarella Fondue
Spinach and Artichoke Gnocchi Soup
Sausage and Gnocchi Florentine Bake
Here is a ready-made pin for you! Simply save it to your “Easy Dinners” board and you’ll be all set when the craving strikes.
Toasted Gnocchi & Mushrooms with Lemony Fried Hazelnuts
An easy, satisfying meal that has tons of flavors and textures to keep things interesting. I like to add some fresh, peppery arugula or mixed greens in at the end, to give this dish a salad vibe – but that is totally optional. You’ll notice that  I’m sort of loose with the amounts listed by each ingredient – you don’t have to use what I suggest. This is a lot of mushrooms, so you could cook less. You could add more nuts or cheese, just look at my amounts as guidelines.Â
Ingredients
- 1 pound gnocchi
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 1.5 pounds mixed sliced mushrooms (this is a lot, you could reduce this)
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 TBSP salted butter, plus more or less as needed
- 4 TBSP olive oil, plus more or less as needed
- 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups mixed greens, optional (I like arugula best for this)
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- In a large, deep-ish pan/skillet, prepare the gnocchi according to the package directions, in liberally salted water (like the sea). Drain and transfer your gnocchi to a plate/platter and drizzle with a little olive oil just to keep it slick and happy. Set aside for now.
- In the same pot, now set over medium heat, add 2 TBSP (give or take) olive oil along with the mushrooms and sliced shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have browned, shrunk, and given off most of their liquid; about 10 to 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the garlic and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, to keep it from burning. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl or plate for now.Â
- Slice one of the lemons into 1/8-inch slices (thin)
- In the same (now empty) pan, add the butter and about 2 TBSP more olive oil. Add the cooked gnocchi, the sliced lemon, and the hazelnuts. Season lightly with some salt and pepper. Cook, tossing gently, until the gnocchi has browned a bit and the lemons have given off their juice; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the mushroom mixture back into the pan and a few handfuls of arugula (or mixed greens of your choice).
- Serve with a shower of grated or shaved parmesan cheese, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (from the remaining lemon), and a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of flaky salt.
