Mario Batali's Gnocchi all'Amatriciana

By SandyC

Ingredients

• For the Gnocchi:
• 2 pounds Russett Potatoes
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Extra Large Eggs
• Pinch Kosher Salt
• For the Amatriciana:
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 ounces sliced Guanciale or Pancetta (or good American Bacon; cut into 1/2-inch strips)
• 1 medium Red Onion (halved lengthwise; ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-wide slices)
• 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
• 1 1/2-2 teaspoons Hot Red Pepper Flakes
• 3 Jalapenos (sliced)
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (plus more for garnish)
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian Parsley

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from beta.abc.go.com

Preparation

Step 1

step 1

ingredients 2 pounds Russett Potatoes

instructions For the Gnocchi: Place the potatoes in a large pot and just cover with cold water. Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a food mill into a bowl.

step 2

ingredients 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Extra Large Eggs
Pinch Kosher Salt

instructions Make a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle with flour. Place the eggs and salt in the center of the well and, using a fork, stir the egg into the flour and potatoes. Bring the dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed, and continue to knead for another 4 minutes, until the dough is dry to the touch. Cut a tennis-ball sized hunk of dough off the main ball and roll it into a dowel about 3/4-inch thick. Cut across the dowel to form pellets about 1 inch long. Flick each pellet down the tines of a fork to form the traditional gnocchi shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.

step 3

ingredients 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 ounces sliced Guanciale or Pancetta (or good American Bacon; cut into 1/2-inch strips)
1 medium Red Onion (halved lengthwise; ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4-wide slices)
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
1 1/2-2 teaspoons Hot Red Pepper Flakes
3 Jalapenos (sliced)

instructions For the Amatriciana: Meanwhile, combine the oil, guanciale, and onion in another large pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the guanciale is lightly browned and the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, jalapeno and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

step 4

ingredients

instructions Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoon salt. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until floating aggressively, 4 to 5 minutes.

step 5

ingredients 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (plus more for garnish)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian Parsley

instructions Stir the cheese into the sauce, then add a ladelful of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce a bit. Add the gnocchi and parsley and serve immediately, with additional grated Pecorino on the side.

Helpful Tips:
1. Remove the seeds and veins from the jalapenos, if you would like to take down the heat in this dish.
2. By gently rolling the gnocchi pieces over the end of a fork, you'll get nice ridges on the sides.
3. Guanciale is similar to bacon and it comes from the pork’s jowl. If you can't find guanciale, then substitute pancetta or bacon.
4. Liberally salt the water to cook and flavor the gnocchi. Use about 2 tablespoons of salt to 1 gallon of water.
5. If your pasta sauce is a little dry, then add a bit of pasta water to loosen it up.