Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Posted by foodess on Fri 30th of Jan, 2009 06:21:19 PM

I cannot express to you the sheer genius of this dish, for both it’s thrilling simplicity and for its ability to make me salivate Pavlov-style every time it crosses my mind. I am not exaggerating in my assertion that this is possibly the best weeknight dinner ever.

This is likely to be at least partly due to the fact that brown butter is my secret lover. Yes, since I discovered it - in it’s toasty, golden lusciousness - I have been entangled in a turbulent affair consisting of one breathtaking, buttery moment in the kitchen after another. *Don’t tell Adarsh. I try to play it cool around him when brown butter is present.

Please – go do the following, it will change your life. Go lop off a hunk of butter, park it in a frying pan, and watch the magic as it goes from yellowy, frothing, buttery-ness to a clear, brown liquid with an intoxicatingly sweet and nutty aroma. Toss in some hot gnocchi, or fettuccine, or your butter-vehicle of choice. But for goodness sake, toss something in. Quickly. Or you may find yourself lapping it straight from the pan. And you don’t want to be caught in that position.

You can follow my lead and stir some fresh sage into the pan to brown with the butter, followed by boiled, drained gnocchi, some sautéed ½ inch pieces of butternut squash, a splash of chicken broth, and a sprinkling of grated parmesan. With the first nutty bite of chewy, buttery gnocchi that melts in your mouth, you will want to shower me with love and pretty presents.

*Optional: Cut 1 lb butternut squash in 1/4 inch cubes and saute in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until tender and slightly browned. Add with gnocchi to browned butter and toss.

As a final step, prepare self for brown butter-induced euphoria and, possibly, a turbulent love affair.

13 Responses

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   1

   Rasheed - February 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 pm

   For a second I thought brown butter might be code for Ad only to find out he’s easily replaced. I’m starved just looking at the pictures!

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   Chuck - February 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am

   Please pass me a fork. I love this dish. I bet the combination of brown sugar, butter and sage is really good.

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   3

   Donna - February 3rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm

   OMG!! This looks so delicious. Yum, brown butter, sage, gnocchi, to die for!!

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   4

   foodess - February 3rd, 2009 at 5:49 pm

   Thanks, Chuck & Donna!

   Rasheed, come visit - I’ll feed you!

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   5

   laura - February 4th, 2009 at 7:13 am

   Thanks for this lovely inspiration. I have butternut squash that needs to find its way into dinner soon.

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   6

   nicola - February 8th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

   i made this for adam last night. it was unbelievable! i modified it by adding a handful of fresh grated parm as i was tossing just to soak up some of the extra butter sauce. (and of course i sprinkled on top as well). THANK you for this recipe. and i accept any and all submissions to my cinnamon bun quality control project. ;-)

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   7

   joan nova - February 9th, 2009 at 10:07 am

   I was dragged over here by the photo on foodgawker. It was so enticing, I just had to see where it led…and I found a very nice blog, very cleverly written.

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   foodess - February 9th, 2009 at 9:44 pm

   Nicola - yay! Glad you liked it! Nothing but good can come from extra cheese.

   Laura - what better way to consume squash than smothered in brown butter?

   Joan - thank you! I’m glad you were dragged over. Come back soon!

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   pigpigscorner - February 10th, 2009 at 1:36 pm

   This sounds amazing! So simple yet full of wonderful flavours. I would rally love to try this but i am on a diet! GRRr….

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    10

    finsmom - February 12th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    Ooooh! I cant wait to make this!!!

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    Good Mutual Funds - April 13th, 2009 at 7:57 am

    OMG, I am trying this tonight. I cannot wait. Your pictures make me want to take a bite out of my monitor. Gnocchi rules!

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    Nistha - May 1st, 2009 at 11:01 am

    Hi!

    I stumbled upon your site and was excited about the slight Indian influences (being Indian myself–although vegetarian)… I must say that that your brown butter sounds like ghee! And it’s crazy how obscenely excited I am that a non-Indian has discovered its gloriousness!

    Nistha

Other Websites Referencing This Post

1. Homemade Gnocchi or Gnocchi di Patate | Eat Boutique

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