This homemade potato gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce is made with blue and white potatoes for a patriotic 4th of July meal!
As I’ve shared before, this year our garden produced an abundance of Adirondack Blue potatoes. I can’t get enough of them! They are such a fun ingredient to experiment with in the kitchen. As you can imagine, with blue potatoes on hand, I thought it appropriate to create some type of patriotic dish for the 4th of July holiday.
Yes, I know they look purple, but bear with me here. It has been a long time since I’ve made gnocchi, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I wanted to get creative with the blue potatoes. Paired with the white potatoes my parents brought me from their garden last weekend, and a few surprise tomatoes that arrived in the garden, I had the makings of a red, white and blue creation. Even if the blue potatoes came out a wee bit purple in the end.
Gnocchi is more of a comfort dish; one that doesn’t sound all that appealing in record high temperatures. For that reason, I kept the tomato sauce raw and fresh. The basil gives the dish a refreshing quality that makes it perfectly acceptable for summer.
Blue and White Potato Gnocchi with Fresh Red Tomato Sauce
2015-07-01 11:01:44
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Fresh Red Tomato Sauce
- 4 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
- ¼ large white onion, minced
- 20 – 30 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Potato Gnocchi
- 1 lb. blue potatoes, baked
- 1 lb. white potatoes, baked
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Fill a large soup pot with water, about ¾ of the way full. Bring to a boil as you make the tomato sauce.
- In a bowl, combine the tomato, onion and basil. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and Parmesan. Toss to mix the ingredients and set aside.
- Place the flesh of the white potatoes and the blue potatoes in separate medium-sized bowls. Mash the potatoes until smooth and no clumps are present. Often gnocchi calls for sending the potatoes through a potato ricer. I don't have one, so I do my best to mash the potatoes well with a hand-held masher or a fork. If you have a potato ricer, feel free to use it.
- Next, add ½ cup flour to each bowl of potatoes. Then add ½ teaspoon of salt to each, and a ½ teaspoon of parsley. First take the blue potato mixture and combine the flour and potato by hand. Once it holds together, turn out onto the counter and knead as you would bread dough, until a smooth ball is formed.
- Roll the potato dough into a thin log. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches. Use a knife or dough cutter to cut the log into small ¼ inch pieces. You can leave the pieces as they are, or roll them gently with a fork to create ridges. Place the gnocchi on a plate or baking sheet.
- Set aside the blue potato gnocchi and repeat the process with the white potato gnocchi.
- Prepare a place for the cooked gnocchi by drizzling about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the water comes to a boil, sprinkle in some salt, about a 1/2 teaspoon. Add the blue potato gnocchi to the boiling water in 3 separate batches. Allow it to boil until it floats, about 45 to 60 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place it in the bowl with olive oil. Repeat with the remaining blue potato gnocchi and then the white potato gnocchi. Toss the cooked gnocchi gently in the the olive oil.
- Divide the gnocchi into 4 to 6 portions. Top with the fresh tomato sauce, and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.
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Happy 4th of July to all my readers in the U.S!
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This looks delicious. Gnocchi is something more people should use-it is under appreciated, and oh so versatile.
Happy 4th to you!
Velva
Happy 4th of July! I love that you used your purple, I mean blue, potatoes to make gnocchi. So fun!
Love everything about this meal!
Velva – Thank you! I agree. It has been a long time since I’ve made it, but it is one of my favorite dishes.
Candy – Happy 4th to you!
Maria – Thanks so much!
absolutely phenomenal. gnocchi gets me every time but i yearn for it with fresh tomato sauce. i’m sorry about your uncle – it’s never easy when someone we care about passes away… xo.
Small side note: Tomorrow (wed) is the very first posting for our Fresh Foods Link Up! Come share your CSA collections, farmer’s market treasures, home grown/raised hauls, and/or any seasonal recipes or DIY projects or tutorials! We’ve got a way for bloggers AND blog readers to participate!
That beautiful purple hue, plus the fresh sauce, how hearty and unique is this dish of gnocchi!
Sound light and healthy , interesting to see blue potato, we have purple sweet potato here but never come across blue potato.
This is SUCH a festive post and a cute idea for the 4th! A great savory alternative if you don’t want to go the red, white and blue dessert route…and just plain delicious!