Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Butternut Squash

This is a recipe from the great chef Thomas Keller. This also is another in a series of cooking with friends. These friends we cook with often, despite living in two different countries. When they are in town we always challenge ourselves to try a new, delicious and difficult recipe. This Gnocchi from Thomas Keller certainly fit that bill, but it was fully worth it.

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This dish overall is great for fall with all the herbs and veggies. The Gnocchi, however, can be made any time of year.

Start with baking the potatoes. TK’s tip is to bake on a bed of salt. This helps draw out some of the moisture of the potato, as he states they should be very dry.

While the potatoes are baking, prep the butternut squash. TK is very specific that you should use only the stem, not the bulb of the butternut squash for this dish. First, peel it, then cut lengthwise and then cube into as uniform cubes as possible.

Next, dice the shallots and slice the mushrooms. Set all aside while working on the next step of the gnocchi.

Once the potatoes are out of the oven let them cool until they are comfortable in your hand or in your oven mitt. The key is to not let them cool too much or they become difficult to work with. Scoop the potato from the skins.

If you own a ricer, it is the best tool for this next step. Take the potatoes, now out of the skins, and press in batches through the ricer. We did this right onto the clean granite counter top.

These steps need to all go pretty quickly so the potatoes don’t cool too much. Make a well in the riced potatoes and add the eggs and flour.

Using a fork or a metal scraper, begin to work the eggs and flour into the potatoes. This will create a dough.

Once the dough is made, it should be tacky to the touch but not too sticky that you can’t handle it. Roll the dough into a log. Keep some flour on the surface to manage the handling of the dough.

From the long log cut into smaller pieces and roll into short long ropes. Cut each rope into inch long pieces.

The Gnocchi board below can be purchased at local kitchen stores. We bought this one at Sur la Table. Roll the pieces down carefully and create the gnocchi with the ridges.

This process can be tedious but get your zen on and just go through the process until you have all those little beauties rolled out.

Our happy chefs taking on the gnocchi challenge.

After the gnocchi are complete, cook by boiling until they float, for just a few minutes. Remove. These can be frozen, separating with sheets of parchment, but we ate them all in one sitting for four.

Now that the gnocchi are complete, it’s time to turn attention to the butternut squash and mushrooms. Start with sauteing the cubed butternut squash in the butter and a bit of canola oil. Salt and pepper.

Once it’s browned a bit add the fresh sage leaves. It will start to smell so good!

After the squash is browned and slightly soft to the touch with the back of a spoon, remove it to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Add the leaves to the towels as well.

In the same skillet go through a similar process for the mushrooms. Add canola oil to the bottom of the pan to warm, then add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms begin to weep, add the butter. Next, sauté the shallots, pepper and thyme.

Once the mushrooms are cooked remove to a second baking sheet to drain off the excess oil.

In the same skillet, wipe out the excess drippings from the mushrooms. Now it’s time to bring the dish together. Return the heat to medium-high and melt the butter. In the hot skillet, add the gnocchi. You want to fry them until slightly brown. In the recipe it states you may need to use two skillets.

Beautiful brown gnocchi, ready to pull the entire dish together.

Add the mushrooms and butternut squash. Top with a bit of chives. Heat through, then move to a warm platter while completing the sauce.

In one of the skillets, make the sauce. Turn the heat up to high and brown the butter. Once melted and “browned,” add the lemon. Be careful as the cool lemon may splatter in the hot butter.

After making this, we wish we would have doubled the sauce, as it was so good over the gnocchi and vegetables.

Pour directly over the warm platter of gnocchi.

Garnish with the sage leaves. Also, consider chopping up some of the leaves and sprinkle over the whole dish, as the sage really adds great flavor. The other adjustment we would make is the decrease the amount of mushrooms as we thought they were out of proportion to the other ingredients. Overall, we loved this very challenging dish and would make it again!

Yield: 4

Author: Thomas Keller

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Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Butternut Squash

Our experience making this delicious gnocchi from the recipe of Thomas Keller. A beautiful fall dish or anytime!

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Ingredients

For the Squash

• One 2 1/2- to 3-pound butternut squash (one with a long neck)
• Canola oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 small sage leaves

For the Mushrooms

• 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned
• Canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To Complete the Dish

• 1 recipe Gnocchi, (thawed if frozen) pre-boiled & drained. Recipe: HERE
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Prepare the Squash

1. It is easier to dice the neck of the butternut squash uniformly than the bulb, which is important for this recipe. We use the remaining bulb for soup. Cut off and discard the stem end of the squash, then cut off the neck. Use a paring knife or sharp vegetable peeler to slice away the peel deep enough to reach the bright orange flesh of the squash. Trim the neck to straighten the sides, then cut it lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into 1/2-inch dice. (You need about 3 cups diced squash.) If you have less than 3 cups, peel the bulb of the squash, cut it in half, and scrape out the seeds. Trim and cut as much of the bulb as you need into 1/2-inch dice. Reserve the remaining squash for another use.
2. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
3. Heat a thin film of canola oil over medium heat in a skillet large enough to hold the squash in a single layer (or cook the squash in two batches). When the oil is hot, add the butter and brown it lightly. Add the squash, salt and pepper to taste, and the sage leaves. Cook, stirring the pieces to brown them on all sides, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until tender throughout. Reduce the heat as necessary to cook the squash and brown it lightly, without burning; the best way to see if the squash is fully cooked is to eat a piece. Drain the squash on one end of the paper towel–lined baking sheet and set aside the sage leaves for the garnish. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and set aside.

Preparing the Mushrooms

1. Trim away the tough stems and cut the caps into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
2. Heat a thin film of canola oil in the same skillet that the squash was cooked in over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mushrooms and salt and sauté for about a minute. The mushrooms will absorb the oil and should not weep any liquid.
3. Add the butter, shallots, thyme, and pepper, then toss and sauté until the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked, 3 to 4 minutes total.
4. Drain the mushrooms on the paper towel–lined baking sheet.

Finishing the Dish

1. The gnocchi might need to be cooked in two skillets: Wipe out the mushroom skillet with paper towels and add a light coating of olive oil to it and to a second large skillet.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to each skillet. When the butter has browned, divide the gnocchi between the two skillets and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Once the gnocchi have begun to brown, shake and rotate the skillets, tossing the gnocchi so that they brown and crisp on all sides, about 2 1/2 minutes.
4. Add the squash, mushrooms, and chives and heat just through. Spoon the gnocchi and vegetables onto serving plates and return one skillet to high heat.
5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook until it is a rich brown, then quickly add the parsley to crackle for a few seconds.
6. Standing back—the butter will spatter—add a squeeze of lemon half. Spoon the brown butter and herbs over the gnocchi and around the plates. Garnish with the reserved sage leaves. Serve at once. Enjoy!