The Art of Making Potato Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato and Crispy Pancetta Sauce

Potato gnocchi is a dish that has intimidated many home cooks, including the author, who admits to hating the idea of making it. However, with practice and patience, they are willing to give it another try. This time, they're making potato gnocchi with a spicy tomato and crispy pancetta sauce.

To start, the author begins by sautéing onions and garlic, followed by canned tomatoes. They explain that they're not using guanciale, but instead opting for pancetta due to its unique flavor profile. Pancetta, in their opinion, is "funky and fatty" which can detract from other flavors in a dish. The author's goal is to create a spicy sauce, so they reach for Italy's favorite chili, the Calabrian pepper.

As they wait for the potatoes to dry out, the author reflects on past attempts at making gnocchi. They admit to having had some failures and wonder if this time will be any different. The addition of egg yolks to the potato mixture helps bind it together, followed by salt, pepper, and flour. However, the author cautions against overworking the dough and adding too much flour.

The author then rolls out the gnocchi onto a fork, creating ridges on each piece. They joke that this will be a divisive move, as some may find the texture off-putting. The next step is to sear the gnocchi in boiling water, hoping they won't break apart. To their relief, the gnocchi hold together well and start to rise to the surface.

With the gnocchi cooked, the author begins building the dish by adding pancetta, tomatoes, and fresh herbs to a bowl. They sprinkle some pecorino cheese on top and garnish with crispy pancetta pieces. The focus is now on the sauce, which is where the real magic happens.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enpotato gnocchi I hate the idea of making this dish it takes a lot of practice I'm going to make potato gnocchi with a spicy tomato and crispy pancetta sauce I'm starting with onions and garlic and then some canned tomatoes are you sort of making your own version of amateur it's liking about to China but I'm not using guanciale I'm using pancetta personally I prefer pancetta when Charlotte to me is like so funky and fatty that it takes away from other things I want my sauce to be spicy so I reach for Italy's favorite chili the calabrian potatoes have drained I put them through a ricer and put them in the oven so that they dry out if you don't get rid of the water potatoes they get too wet and they break apart what up souffle what's up in the past you've had some failures yes is this the first time you're drying the potatoes I don't remember is this right dry enough they're fantastic Bobby honestly honest the rice are not a great idea really yeah I think Giada and I are gonna be four no it's not over until it's over I know so after the potatoes come out I'd incorporate the egg yolks into the potato mixture and then salt and pepper and then some flour watch that flour Mr Flay what are you making cake so I'm eating the dough and I just want to make sure that I don't overwork it and add too much flour I roll out the gnocchi onto the fork what are you going for there like ridges yeah oh my Lord there's Nona's rolling over in their grave All Over America yo souffle are you going to sear your Yaki no okay it'll be interesting to see how his taste once they're cooked yeah hey buddy you feeling okay uh I won't know until I start cooking the gnocchi how is it Michael the sauce is delicious I would just do it with no gnocchi just give them some grilled bread and see what happens well I like the grilled bread idea I put the gnocchi into the boiling water and hopefully it stays together well B they're not breaking so that's a good sign Victory number one I start building the dish so I start with some pancetta I throw the Tomato over it so the pancetta is running through the tomatoes as well the gnocchi start to rise to the top that's when you know they're done take them out and put them into the sauce I mean we obviously harass them but they look beautiful now I think for Bobby it's gonna be more about the sauce I take the gnocchi and the sauce put it in the bowl some pecorino cheese some fresh herbs and some of the crispy pancetta four three two one I think it's going to come down to the gnocchi execution and the flavor of the dish but I'm pretty happy with it I like I'm shocked actuallypotato gnocchi I hate the idea of making this dish it takes a lot of practice I'm going to make potato gnocchi with a spicy tomato and crispy pancetta sauce I'm starting with onions and garlic and then some canned tomatoes are you sort of making your own version of amateur it's liking about to China but I'm not using guanciale I'm using pancetta personally I prefer pancetta when Charlotte to me is like so funky and fatty that it takes away from other things I want my sauce to be spicy so I reach for Italy's favorite chili the calabrian potatoes have drained I put them through a ricer and put them in the oven so that they dry out if you don't get rid of the water potatoes they get too wet and they break apart what up souffle what's up in the past you've had some failures yes is this the first time you're drying the potatoes I don't remember is this right dry enough they're fantastic Bobby honestly honest the rice are not a great idea really yeah I think Giada and I are gonna be four no it's not over until it's over I know so after the potatoes come out I'd incorporate the egg yolks into the potato mixture and then salt and pepper and then some flour watch that flour Mr Flay what are you making cake so I'm eating the dough and I just want to make sure that I don't overwork it and add too much flour I roll out the gnocchi onto the fork what are you going for there like ridges yeah oh my Lord there's Nona's rolling over in their grave All Over America yo souffle are you going to sear your Yaki no okay it'll be interesting to see how his taste once they're cooked yeah hey buddy you feeling okay uh I won't know until I start cooking the gnocchi how is it Michael the sauce is delicious I would just do it with no gnocchi just give them some grilled bread and see what happens well I like the grilled bread idea I put the gnocchi into the boiling water and hopefully it stays together well B they're not breaking so that's a good sign Victory number one I start building the dish so I start with some pancetta I throw the Tomato over it so the pancetta is running through the tomatoes as well the gnocchi start to rise to the top that's when you know they're done take them out and put them into the sauce I mean we obviously harass them but they look beautiful now I think for Bobby it's gonna be more about the sauce I take the gnocchi and the sauce put it in the bowl some pecorino cheese some fresh herbs and some of the crispy pancetta four three two one I think it's going to come down to the gnocchi execution and the flavor of the dish but I'm pretty happy with it I like I'm shocked actually\n"