Carrot Gnocchi and Thyme Brown Butter Sauce

September 06, 2021

 

 

FALL IS SO. DANG. CLOSE! This delicious carrot gnocchi recipe is a great way to move summer bounty into fall with our crisp carrots we're offering in this week's Harvest Club subscription. A warm, autumn meal with a touch of brightness from the lemony sauce, this recipe is the perfect September dinner. 

 

makes approximately 40. serves two.

Ingredients:

-   1 bunch of Local Roots carrots

-   ¾ cup Local Roots all-purpose flour

-   salt

-   2 tbsp Local Roots Ronnybrook unsalted butter

-   thyme leaves (fresh or dry)

-   lemon

 

Steps:

 

1. Wash whole bunch of carrots. Remove the carrot tops, then peel and chop into approximately 1” pieces.
2. Place carrots into a pot, then fill with water until carrots are just covered and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt to the water and boil for about 15 minutes, or until carrots are fork tender to the center. Meanwhile, zest and halve a lemon and set aside. 
3. Drain the carrots, then leave to cool until only warm to the touch. Mash the carrots with a potato masher (or wooden spoon) until smooth. Start a pot of salted water boiling.
4. Turn the mashed carrot mixture onto a clean surface and then sprinkle ½ cup of LR all-purpose flour over it. Gently incorporate the flour into the carrots with your hands. Do not knead. You can add ¼ cup more flour, depending on the moisture level of your carrot mixture, but be cautious- too much flour can make the gnocchi gummy.
5. When the mixture feels like a cohesive dough that is soft but not too sticky, lift one half over the other, like you are closing a book. Press down until it is one block, then fold again.
6. Slice off a one inch section of your dough. Apply light pressure with your palms to roll it into a log. Once it is circular, cut 1” sections (or the length of your first knuckle). Take care to space the gnocchi so they do not stick to each other. If you’d like, you can place your index finger and thumb on either side of the gnocchi and press the tines of a fork down to create a ridged pattern.
7. Once your gnocchi are ready, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Swirl the butter around the pan until it begins to take on an amber color and smell nutty. Turn off the heat. The butter will continue browning in residual heat and you don’t want it to burn.

TIP: If you are using a dark-bottomed pan, watch the milk solids (the white foam on top) to see if they brown, or tilt the pan toward you to gauge the color.

8. Drop your gnocchi into the salted boiling water, giving them a stir so they don’t stick to each other. When they float, stir once more and let them cook for 2-3 more minutes. To test for doneness, you can remove one and cut it in half to see if the flour is cooked inside. It will look more translucent, less doughy.

TIP: If you are worried that you haven’t used enough flour, you can cook one tester and see if it holds together in the boiling water. No worries if it falls apart! Incorporate a few tablespoons more flour and try again.

9. Add ½ tsp of thyme leaves to the brown butter and swirl. Once your gnocchi are ready to come out, turn the saucepan back to medium heat.
10. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrot gnocchi into the brown butter mixture. It’s good if some of the water goes with them (a few teaspoons worth), since the starchy water will help the sauce emulsify. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan. Swirl the gnocchi around in the pan until evenly coated and the water has cooked off.
11. Transfer your gnocchi to a plate and garnish with lemon zest. Enjoy!

 

TIP: Gnocchi can be frozen in a Stasher bag for up to one month. Dust lightly with flour and freeze in one layer to prevent sticking. Do not thaw. Place immediately into salted boiling water and use the same method as above.

 

This recipe was created by Local Roots recipe developer Irena Huang.

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