gnocchi (with hatch green chili powder) + rosemary garlic brown butter

I bought a sack of potato's for hash browns and been waiting for me to do something exiting with them.  And tonight I just thought....  Gnocchi.  It was my Great Uncle Red's favorite dish.   It seemed if we went to an italian restaurant it was almost assumed that Red would order the Gnocchi (he called it nocky).  I have made it a few times but mostly I as a ricotta gnocchi guy not a master of the potato dumpling...  the spinach ricotta was a favorite for a while, delicate dumplings in a sage brown butter sauce.  But back to good potato Gnocchi.  It should be soft with just a little chew.  I try to make mine more delicate like the ricotta one's I used to make.  But firm enough to hold together.  First tip, bake the potato unwrapped for about an hour or so depending on how big the potato.   don't boil.   you want this dry and flakey not mushy.  I've heard of chefs roasting them in a bed of salt to draw even more moisture out.  I don't know if this is necessary but it can't hurt I guess.  

I had three small/med potato's - when the potato's are done you can half them and scrape them with a fork and get the flake to fall into a sieve (unless you have a potato ricer then go for it here).  I didn't.  so I forked it into the sieve and mashed it into a bowl creating even fluffier potato.  Let this cool a good bit.  In a separate bowl add about a tsp of salt and whip one egg, right here I got freaky,  I added some ultra fine dry new mexico green hatch chili powder.  enough to get a good file gumbo color going in the egg and mixed this with the cool potato.  Then sift in up to 2/3 of a cup of flour, I used a blend of tapioca flour and white rice flour.  It held quite well.  I try to use less flour and get the dough firm but not too hard as get a gummy chewy result, and don't over mix.  You can use less flour to get them softer, the risk is too delicate and it will break.  I try and keep happy balance here.  Roll out cylinders and cut into pieces with a knife and roll with your thumb on the edge of a fork to make it like the old italian ladies do with ridges.  I do this, but you could just have little balls too.  The dimples hold sauce better though.  do this then drop in boiling water, but don't let it roll back up to boil.  They boil up and float in minutes and they pretty much are done right then...  I let em hang out just a about  minute longer.  rescue them with a slotted spoon and right into a sauce...  today I dressed them butter with zested of garlic slow cooking with rosemary until just crispy and crunchy, not burned.  Topped with parmesan and I loved it.  I will do it again tomorrow (left overs) with a different sauce.  not sure what yet.

I love this classic.  It's easy fun and cheap as hell.  i just takes a little time and might made a small mess...  no biggy?  Cooking like this soothes me.  I can just let my hands work and think.  Today I thought a lot.  I need to name my record which I finished on Monday.  done and done.  It is getting mastered and I am working on artwork next.  I do not take this lightly.  These are the kind of things that things come to me when I am in the kitchen cooking and thoughts flow around the back of my mind settling into a comfy place...  and I find a decision.

not yet tho...  so I cooked another dish on it's heals. --->