Recipe/ Sides/ Vegetarian

Scratch Garden Beet Gnocchi & Creamy, Soft Chevre

Sometimes ya just gotta chow down on carbs and drink a bottle of good red wine all to your damn fine self. And by good red wine, I mean boxed red wine. No I don’t; I mean good red wine. Because let’s face it – if I’m going to go to the effort to make a dish as slaptastic amazing as homemade beet gnocchi, I want the best wine my self-employed, starving artist, creative closet-hippie self can afford. Which was around 20 bucks.

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She Eats

Speaking of the best that you can afford, I’m kind of obsessed with KitchenAid Stand Mixers right now. Don’t worry, this is related. Wait for it… (And they aren’t sponsoring me to say that….Yet.)

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She EatsBeet Gnocchi Dough Recipe - She Eats

Seriously. I see one on TV, pass one in a store or glimpse one in a magazine – I feel a longing in my loins. I need it. A mint green one. And I don’t even bake that much. But it’s become a weird obsession of mine that just needs to be satisfied. And of course, I want the standard mix attachment but also the meat grinder so I can grind my own beef or bison for burgers, or make my own sausage. I also want the ice cream maker attachment so I can create insane flavors like caramel Brûlé and rustic blackberry and dark chocolate. And the ravioli maker and vegetable grinder and grain mill attachments.

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She Eats

Yes. I am obsessed. But one thing that I won’t use it for? Kneading dough.

I talked about this briefly then I made Super Soft Homemade Bread a few weeks ago, but to stress the point: There is something so fundamentally visceral and potently physical about kneading dough. When I knead dough, I feel connected to history. Connected to my food. And ultimately, to the connections within the food system. Somebody, at some point, planted those beet and wheat seeds. They harvested them. Milled them (though likely not on their KitchenAid grain miller). You get the idea … It’s so intimate and so organic in its process – I love it.

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She Eats

I love being able to tell when a dough is too wet or too dry. When the stretch is just right. When it needs more kneading or when I’ve kneaded it too much. I love the smell of yeast. I love knowing that when cleaning up I need to wipe down the counter with cold water before hot so as to not activate the starches in the flour and thereby avoid making a big gloopy mess. I love working with my hands and the feel of the dough in my fingers. I love the arm work out. I love negating that work out by drinking half my wine whilst preparing the dough.

I. love. kneading. dough.

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She Eats

So while I may cry and stomp and plead for a mint green KitchenAid mixer, I want it for every other reason than kneading dough. Know anyone who’s looking for someone to take one off their hands?

Pair this beet gnocchi with Balsamic Slow-Braised Grass-Fed Short Ribs and fresh chevre. Allow the braising liquid to reduce in a pan, finish with a glob of butter and a handful of crisp arugula and you’ve got yourself one insanely good quick demi glace to sauce it all off with. You know you wanna.

Scratch Beet Gnocchi with Fresh Chevre

Ingredients

  • 2 Lb (600 g) Floury Potatoes (i.e. Russets).
  • 3 Small to Medium Sized Beets.
  • 300 g + 200 g White All-Purpose Flour.
  • 1 Free-Rage, Organic Egg Yolk.
  • 1 Tsp Nutmeg.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  • Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.
  • Fresh Chevre, to serve.

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Wash and dry the potatoes and beets thoroughly. Poke a few holes in the potatoes skin with a fork to release the heat while they’re cooking (or they may burst in your oven – messy!), rub with some olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place the beets in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt pepper. Shake to coat. Cover. Bake both in the oven for about an hour or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool about 4 minutes or until you can handle them.
  3. While those are cooking, mix together 300g of flour, the nutmeg, and some salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Now, peel the beets and place in a food processor. Process until pureed. Set aside.
  5. Grab an oven mitt and cut the potatoes in half. Scoop out the hot potato into a bowl and discard skins (eat these as you cook - yum!).Smash potatoes with a fork to eliminate lumps. Be gentle and work quickly – you want these little guys to be fluffy and hot, not pulverized and cold.
  6. Add the egg yolk to the potatoes and work through, followed by the warm beet puree.
  7. Once incorporated, add the flour mixture and gently mix in with your hands.
  8. Once it starts to hold together and look more like dough, generously flour your work surface, remove from the bowl, and knead the entire bit for about 3 – 4 minutes. Depending on the moisture content of your beets, you may or may not need to add more flour. You should be able to knead it without it sticking too badly to your fingers, though it will be more moist/sticky than normal gnocchi. Try not to add too much though or you will end up with heavy gnocchi.
  9. * To knead, use your palms to push down on the mixture, spreading it on the counter, fold over toward you, and turn 1/4 of a turn. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
  10. Once your kneading is done, break off a big handful of the stuff and roll out like a rope on the floured counter to about 3/4″ thick.Slice all the way down the rope into 1 inch pieces.Traditional gnocchi has little grooves in the top. You can do this with a fork but I never bother.
  11. Place “pillows” on a floured piece of parchment paper, cover with a towel and set aside until ready to cook.
  12. When you’re ready to cook them, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in 10 to 12 gnocchi at a time and let cook for about 2 minutes. They will pop to the top of the water when they are done. Remove with a slotted spoon and place them in a shallow glass bowl or plate until all the gnocchi are done.
  13. At this point you can chuck some butter in a pan, melt, brown slightly and add the gnocchi. Coat. Dish up and top with fresh chevre. OR, if you made the braised short ribs, ladle 2 cups of the sauce into a pan, bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce by half and then stir in a tbsp or two of butter. Season if needed and toss with the gnocchi. Dish up and top with fresh Chevre.
  14. Eat.

 

Beet Gnocchi Recipe - She Eats

Do you have a KitchenAid fixation? What tool can you NOT live without in the kitchen? Do you make your own gnocchi or pasta? Share below!

 

  • Lisa
    February 7, 2014 at 10:12 AM

    I want to eat this so bad! And when I was in search of a Kitchen Aid food processor, I got a great deal on a used-once cherry red one on Kijiji. I also want a matching mixer, but I don’t use one enough to justify it.

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 7, 2014 at 2:37 PM

      That’s good to know Lisa! Thank you! I’ll take a look there for sure – didn’t even think about it.

      PS. The gnocchi really are simple to make – you could totally do it!!

  • juliette
    February 7, 2014 at 3:22 PM

    So much color on a plate! It looks delicious, I need to try to make these.

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 11, 2014 at 10:05 AM

      Thanks love! They really were very good!

  • Teresa, foodonfifth
    February 7, 2014 at 6:14 PM

    Beautiful! I am a fan of the beet and just made borscht yesterday for the first time. Beet Gnocchi is just beyond the beyond! Great photos Kristy.

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 11, 2014 at 10:05 AM

      Ooooooh! I’ve never actually made borscht Teresa – was it good?? Thanks for taking the time to say hi!

  • Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
    February 7, 2014 at 7:20 PM

    I’m super impressed. That is all.

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 11, 2014 at 10:06 AM

      You are awesome. THAT…. is all.

  • Loving Life Naturally
    February 9, 2014 at 4:09 PM

    I will never forget the first time I had gnocchi, I was studying in Italy and I had no idea what I was eating, I just knew I loved it! I have never even heard of been gnocchi, but I must try! So creatively beautiful… and nutritious! 🙂

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 11, 2014 at 10:07 AM

      hahahahaha – that’s awesome! You’re so brave! I’d be like “what’s in there?! WHAT IS IT???” before I put it in my mouth. Though it doesn’t exactly parade around like meat – fluffy potato pasta starchy stuff isn’t too scary, I guess 😉

  • Loving Life Naturally
    February 9, 2014 at 4:09 PM

    **Beet

  • Amy | Club Narwhal
    February 12, 2014 at 11:51 AM

    Kristy, I’ve been on a total beet kick and tried making beet gnocchi last week. While it TASTED awesome, it sure didn’t look as pretty as your version! I’ll have to keep practicing my gnocchi rolling skills 🙂

    • Kristy Gardner
      February 12, 2014 at 5:45 PM

      Hi Amy! Aw – thanks! The key to rolling gnocchi is coating it in flour. Like, seriously. It keeps everything from sticking and lets you get it to the right thickness. PS – your beet bagels are INSANE!!! I’m your newest, biggest fan 😉 Glad to see you!! xo!

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  • Moira
    March 9, 2016 at 11:37 AM

    I agree completely with you on the homemade bread. The smell of the yeasty dough, the way a perfectly-kneaded ball feels under my hands – it makes all my troubles melt away! I’ve never made gnocchi before, but we have a soft-spot for beets, so I may have to dive into this recipe 🙂