I made pan-fried gnocchi for the first time today. I used the following:
- Wholemeal plain flour
- Leftover baked potatoes
- Salt
- A single egg.
I ran the potatoes through a cheese grater because I don't have a ricer. That got them into a super aerated pile. I added the egg and added flour until the whole thing was clinging together. I lifted it onto a floured surface, kneaded for about 4 minutes. I'm not a pasta adept so I don't know if I overworked – safe to assume I did.
I blanched in boiling water until they floated to the top, then I pan fried them in olive oil until golden brown on both sides. They were too chewy when they came out (No doubt wrong proportions of ingredients) but bizarrely, they tasted and smelt like English pancakes. I'm just wondering, is there something with the egg and the flour that would cause this?
Best Answer
It would be difficult to say precisely because the results that you describe are usually due to an inadvertent (and often undiscovered) mistake, but:
Not using a ricer or mill could cause you to inadvertently over-work the mixture; by the time you feel like you get the right tactile response it could very well be over-glutenous (this explains the chewy center). If your budget permits, even a cheap ricer or small mill would help (they're found for as low as $10), if not, just try mashing with a fork until fine prior to mixing with the flour and egg.
You need to be somewhat aggressive with salt, as others have pointed out. Twice as much as you think you need might seem like a lot, but try that as a general measure.
You mentioned blanching, did the water come up to a rapid boil very shortly after losing heat when you introduced them? You might want to use a higher-output burner if not. This can also be the bane of some fresh egg pasta; the water needs to be at a steady rolling boil and recover quickly. To compensate, you can use a bigger pot with more water and boil it covered, it might recover sooner. This could also be why they were a bit chewy
Those points could also be contributors to the taste you describe but the sum of the ingredients matter here, too. How old was the flour? With pasta and gnocci, I use a brand that's clearly marked with a packaged date so it can be rotated properly.
Also, did you groove them? Little grooves on the sides help the Maillard reaction so they don't need to fry as long, which keeps the oil from going pungent, and helps hold the salt a little better.
Source: I've screwed up more Gnocchi than I've gotten right. It's a labor of love, and so rewarding when they come out perfectly. Don't give up!