Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom Alfredo Sauce for #FoodieExtravaganza

This month's Foodie Extravaganza, where we get together each month to celebrated National Food Holidays, is being hosted by Kathleen of Fearlessly Creative Mammas.   Did you know there is at least one food assigned to each day of the year to celebrate that food?

Kathleen chose to celebrate the lowly and humble potato this month. Potatoes are such a wonderful blank canvas with which to work but I was a little concerned because I have posted so many potato recipes and wasn't sure what I wanted to make for this challenge.  I could always do a potato soup or chowder but it has been very warm around here.  I thought about sharing another potato salad recipe, you can never have to many of those, but I was making a pasta salad later this week for another post. I love potato pancakes, french fries, potato chips, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes and grilled potatoes but I have previously shared all of these recipes.

I started thinking of other things made from potatoes...Vodka...yes but I think it takes a little too long to distill.  Maybe hash or a wonderful garden stuffed potato that I like to serve sometimes for Meatless Monday.  I will share those one day for sure but I still had company in the house and didn't feel like either of those would make a company worthy dinner. I almost made a sweet potato pie but really didn't want to turn on the oven.  Then I thought about Gnocchi. Wonderful little pillows of goodness that I could drench in a mushroom cream sauce, serve along side a fresh salad and know that I would have a bunch of happy campers around my table.

While your potatoes are cooking until tender, prepare your workspace.

Lightly flour the area and have a food mill fitted with the finest disk waiting.

When the potatoes are tender, peel and run through the food mill onto the floured surface.

Make a well in the center of the potatoes.

Sprinkle the potatoes with the flour, salt and pepper.

Crack the eggs into the well and lightly beat the eggs incorporating all the ingredients together.

Knead lightly on the work surface until a soft, smooth ball is formed.

Divide the dough into 4 even portions.

Roll the dough into a long strand about an inch thick and then cut the strand into inch pieces.

Shape the gnocchi by holding a dinner fork in one hand and use your index finger to hold a cut edge of the piece against the curved back of the tines of the fork.  Press into the center of the gnocchi with your index finger to make a deep indentation and roll it against the tines of the fork and off onto the counter.

Boil in salted water for 2 or 3 minutes, they will float to the top of the water.

Remove and immediately plunge into an ice water bath.

Drain and freeze if desired or continue with your recipe.

The Gnocchi recipe is from Martha Stewart and the Mushroom Alfredo Sauce is mine.  I hope you enjoy this celebration of this versatile and delicious vegetable.

I continued with my recipe by making an Alfredo Sauce and rewarming the gnocchi in the sauce before serving.

Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom Alfredo Sauce

Gnocchi recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

For the Gnocchi:

2 lbs. Russet Potatoes, well scrubbed

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. flour and more for dusting

2 eggs 

For the Sauce:

1/4 c. butter

12 oz. sliced mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t. thyme

2 cloves garlic

1 pint heavy cream

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Place unpeeled potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add about a tablespoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and cook until tender (45-60 minutes).

While potatoes are boiling, fill a large bowl with ice and water creating an ice bath.  Set aside.  Flour your work surface and prepare your food mill with a ricing disk.

When the potatoes are tender remove from the water and peel while still hot, holding them with a kitchen towel.  Place the peeled potatoes in the food mill and rice them onto the floured surface. Place a second pot of salted water on to boil.

Make a well in the middle of the potatoes, sprinkle with the flour, salt and pepper.  Break the eggs into the well and with a fork lightly beat the eggs incorporating all of the ingredients to form a dough. Knead the dough lightly on the floured surface until smooth and soft.  Divide into 4 even pieces.

Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a rope approx. 1" in diameter. Cut each rope into 1" pieces.  Shape the gnocchi by holding a dinner fork in one hand and holding the cut edge of the gnocchi against the back of the fork against the tines press down with your index finger and roll along the tines and off onto the work surface.

Place half of the gnocchi into the boiling salted water and let cook until it rises to the top, about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and put directly into the ice bath.  Repeat with second batch of gnocchi.

At this point you can freeze the gnocchi for future use or continue with your recipe as I did.

Melt the butter over med high heat, add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are tender.  Add the cream, thyme and nutmeg if desired.  Stir to combine and let cook at a simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, 10 or 15 minutes.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the gnocchi and cook stirring occasionally until warmed through.  Serve with additional cheese for sprinkling.  Print Recipe

Take a look at all the other potato creations!

Kathleen, our host this month, chose potatoes because she is from Idaho.  All of the recipes feature potatoes in one form or another. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of the month. If you are a blogger and you're interested in joining in the fun, visit us at our Facebook Foodie Extravaganza page. You can also visit our past party submissions on our Pinterest Foodie Extravaganza board . We hope you will enjoy the recipes we are sharing this month. The potato is so versatile that we've come up with a huge variety of recipes for you to try.

• Latvian Spiced Dill French Fries from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Chicken and Mashed Potato Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chipotle and Lime Roasted Fingerling Potatoes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Horseradish Potato Au Gratin from From Gate to Plate
• Roasted Purple Potatoes with Rosemary and Thyme from Our Good Life 
• Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup from Making Miracles
• Llapingachos (Ecuadorian Stuffed Potato Patties) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelet) from Cali's Cuisine 
• Japanese Moon Gazing Potatoes from Ninja Baker
• Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet Potato Spiced Swirl Bread from Baking in Pyjamas 
• Loaded Pierogi from Cooking With Carlee
• Bloody Mary Potato Salad from Cindy's Recipes and Writings 
• Colcannon with Kale from Cherishing a Sweet Life
• Potato Rolled Tacos from Foodie and Wine 
• Jersey Royals with Mint from Food Lust People Love 
• Naked Ladies with their Legs Crossed from Passion Kneaded
• Shredded Potato Crusted Chicken from The Freshman Cook 
• Copycat Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from Pantry Friendly Cooking

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