Italian Homemade Cheesy Potato Gnocchi Recipe.
This recipe for homemade potato gnocchi with cheese and leeks is a wonderful example of traditional Alpine cuisine. The homemade gnocchi have cheese in the dough and the sauce is a cheesy béchamel with sautéed leeks. An absolute must-try for cheese lovers!
Servings: 4
Calories: 608kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large pan to cook potatoes
- 1 potato ricer
- 1 Deep frying pan or skillet
- 1 wood pastry board.
- 1 large bowl
- 1 saucepan to make béchamel
Ingredients
For the potato gnocchi
- 1.1 pounds potatoes starchy
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 ounces Montasio cheese or Fontina, Asiago, Emmenthal etc grated
- 3.9 ounces Italian '00' soft wheat flour or all purpose flour + extra for dusting
- salt to taste
For the sauce.
- 1 ounce butter
- 1 ounce soft wheat flour
- 10 ounces fresh milk
- 3 leeks washed and sliced
- 5 ounces Montasio cheese or Fontina, Asiago, Emmenthal etc
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 handful fresh chives optional
Instructions
Make the gnocchi
- Cook the unpeeled whole potatoes in plenty of salted boiling water. Then either peel them and mash them gently with a potato masher or press them through a potato ricer into a large bowl. With the latter, you don’t need to peel the potatoes first. The peel tends to stay in the ricer, although it’s best to remove the peel after ricing each potato. I find using a ricer is the best way.
- Add the grated cheese, egg yolks, salt, and flour to the potato. Mix everything well together and then turn the gnocchi mixture out on to a well-floured surface. Knead gently to form a pliable dough. Roll the potato gnocchi dough into a ball, as you would for homemade pasta.
- Next, cut off a piece of dough and roll it into a long rope about ¾ inch (2cm) thick and then cut the rope into ¾ inch (2 cm) equal pieces. These gnocchis aren’t traditionally ridged, but you can do so by rolling them over an gnocchi board or the back of a fork. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Place the ready gnocchi on a flour dusted surface while you make the rest and the sauce.
Make the sauce.
- Wash and clean the leeks and cut them into narrow slices. Then sauté in butter until soft and very slightly browned. Set aside.
- To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the flour and mix together with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth paste (roux).
- For best results, add in the milk a little at a time stirring continuously until the sauce is smooth and has the consistency of a custard. Finally add the grated cheese, mix until it melts and then put in the sautéed leeks.
Finish and serve.
- Put a large pot of water on to boil for the gnocchi, add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again. Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water until they rise to the surface. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce.
- While you are waiting for the water for the potato gnocchi to boil, transfer the cheese sauce to a skillet that is large enough to hold the gnocchi too. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a little water or milk and heat through over a low heat.
- Mix the gnocchi and cheese and leek sauce together for a minute to allow the gnocchi to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste, then plate immediately. I added some chopped chives for extra oniony flavourand color. But the chives are not in the original recipe and are optional.
Notes
The best potatoes for gnocchi are dry and starchy with white flesh, preferably slightly aged. I like to use Russet potatoes, which are the most popular here in Italy, but you can also use Desiree potatoes, Yukon Gold, Idaho potatoes or even King Edwards.
Cook’s tip. To make perfect gnocchi the potato needs to be still quite hot when pressed or mashed. You also don’t want the ‘mash’ to be too compact, keep it fluffy.
If you can't find Montasio cheese, good substitutes include other semi-hard Alpine good melting cheeses like Emmenthal, Fontina, Gruyere, or Asiago.
Nutrition
Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 1007mg | Potassium: 855mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2023IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 832mg | Iron: 5mg