Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Kale

Yesterday I had very high hopes for hiking, but with thunderheads on the horizon and the threat of more flooding, I thought better of it. After moving through the 12 stages of grief after a full weekend with no time in the shade of pine trees or alpine lakes to take photos of, I opted for the next best thing in my view, a nice heartwarming, belly-filling plate of Italian food. Initially my thought was ravioli, but honestly, I just got lazy and didn't feel like putting the time in, so gnocchi was the next best thing. I have kale growing in absurd abundance, I have shallots from my friends at Flicker Farms, and morels that we picked this Spring and dehydrated--all of these being the makings of a fine white wine and cream sauce for little potato dumplings. It isn't a fast recipe (which is why I made it when I had some time open up) but I think it's worth the time--it was rich and delicious and made spending the afternoon indoors a worthwhile endeavor. Give it a whirl--your tummy will thank you!

Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Kale
Gnocchi
3 large baking potatoes
1 tsp truffle salt
1 egg
1/4 C grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 C all purpose flour plus 1/4 C for dusting

Sauce
2 T butter
3/4 C white wine
1/2 C heavy cream
1 bunch of kale, stems removed
1 C dried morel mushrooms (or other wild mushrooms)
1/4 C chopped prosciutto
2 shallots, minced
1/4 C grated Parmesan

Put potatoes whole, skin-on into a large stockpot of salted, cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes undisturbed. Meanwhile, prep your remaining ingredients for the gnocchi (grate the cheese and measure out the flour.) Then, prep your sauce ingredients: wash and stem the kale. Place kale into a large pot of salted boiling water. Simmer for 3 minutes, strain into a colander under cold running water to stop the cooking and keep the leaves bright green. Squeeze out any remaining liquid, roughly chop and set aside. Rehydrate the mushrooms by placing into a medium-sized bowl of fresh water. This  will take about 30 minutes. Chop the prosciutto and set aside. Mince the shallots, grate the Parmesan and set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the boiling water and allow to cool just enough so that you can handle them without burning yourself-they should still be as hot as you can handle though. Remove the skins by sliding them off and using a paring knife if necessary. Cut away any bruises or blemishes. Cut each potato into thirds and place into a food mill or ricer, scattering the potato "shreds" onto a cutting board or large work surface. Allow the milled potatoes to cool completely. 

Begin to build your sauce. Warm the butter in a large saute pan until melted over low heat. Add the shallots and stir periodically until they are brown. Meanwhile, wash the large stockpot that you used to boil the potatoes, fill it with more salted water and set to medium high. 

Begin to make the gnocchi by scattering the potato shreds into a large bowl. Create a well in the center like you would to make pasta. Add the egg, truffle salt and cheese; whip together with a fork until all of the potato is incorporated. Then add the flour, treating the dough as you would a good biscuit recipe--combine carefully, paying close attention that you just bring the dough together without overworking. The gnocchi should be light and pillowy, not tough and chewy.

Cut the dough into 8 pieces using a bench scraper. Flour your work surface and hands, and roll each piece into an even rope, approximately an inch wide. Again, using the scraper, cut the gnocchi into evenly sized pieces, about 3/4 inch. Set aside.

Moving back to the sauce, once the shallots are evenly browned, add the chopped prosciutto for about 5 minutes, or until the pieces are well browned and the fat has rendered off. Bump the heat up to medium, and add the mushrooms, sauteing for approximately 10 minutes until nearly all of the liquid has cooked off and brown bits are forming on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and reduce the heat to low again.

Return to the gnocchi, and begin adding them to the boiling water--cook in batches, about 20 at a time so they cook evenly without sticking together. Once they begin to float in the water, cook for another minute and then remove with a slotted spoon and add to the sauce. This is a fairly quick process-- probably around 6-8 minutes for all of the gnocchi to hit the pan. Stir the dumplings gently so as not to break or nick them. Add the cream and some of the cooking water from the gnocchi as needed to thin the sauce out to the consistency you want. I don't like a very thick sauce, so I added around 1/2 C of the cooking liquid. Add the kale. 

Again, gently combine. Taste and season with remaining truffle salt. Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan. As a one-dish dinner, this recipe serves four.