Ingredients for cream sauce:
2 tbsp butter/margarine/neutral cooking oil
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup broth of choice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder and onion powder
1 cup grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese
Ingredients for gnocchi:
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
There’s often a lot of leftovers after the holidays. This recipe is a fun way to use up any mashed potatoes that didn’t get eaten and is easy to scale up or down.
Have a pot of salted water boiling beforehand to cook right away. Measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes and put it in the bowl, then add in the 2 cups of flour. Once the mixture turns into a shaggy dough, lightly flour your counter and knead the dough into a smooth consistency.
The texture of your dough will be affected by how moist your mashed potatoes are. Add flour by the teaspoon to the dough if it’s too sticky. Add a teaspoon of whisked egg if too dry.
Cut the dough into smaller chunks and cover with a towel so it doesn’t dry out. Roll out dough into a long snake then cut into desired gnocchi size. Gently put the gnocchi into the water with a slotted spoon. The gnocchi is done cooking when it rises to the surface of the water, which only takes a minute or two.
If you want to cook the dough later, put it into a ziplock bag. Zip up the bag most of the way, but leave a gap for air to escape, the press the dough flat. Fully close the bag, and using a fork make grooves into the bag to shape the gnocchi, then freeze for later.
To make the cream sauce, melt the butter in a pot on medium-high. Add the flour and quickly whisk both ingredients together to make a roux. Once combined, continuously whisk to prevent the roux from sticking and burning.
Once the roux turns golden and smells toasted, continue whisking while putting in the milk. When there are no more clumps and the milk is starting to thicken, stop whisking.
Add in the garlic and onion powder and stir in thoroughly. Put in the cheese while whisking continuously until the cheese is fully melted. Slowly add the broth while whisking; once combined add salt and pepper to taste and give one final stir.
Gently put the cooked gnocchi into the white sauce and mix with a slotted spoon.
Then serve and enjoy.