The holidays tend to produce a lot of leftovers. For my family there were plenty of mashed potatoes, sauce and meat for everyone to take home. While heating up leftovers is always an option, I always enjoy the challenge of creating something new with them, especially when it comes to something simple like mashed potatoes.
Besides being a traditional staple for some holiday meals, potatoes have a shelf life of 1-2 weeks at room temperature or 2-3 months if stored in dark, cool conditions. You can get them when they’re in season and keep them for the cold months when you need something hearty. They’re ideal for staying seasonal when the snow makes it a little difficult to get fresh seasonal food.
Do mashed potatoes are a perfect seasonal side, but even as a creamy, salty and smooth side of carbs, they can get a little boring after having them for Thanksgiving and multiple Christmases. To switch it up, I turned them into gnocchi. These dumplings are easy to make with just 3 base ingredients, and they're so crispy and versatile!
The first time I made them with some friends, we used way too much butter to make a simple sage sauce, but that didn't scare me off. Since then I've made curried gnocchi with paneer, but I love a simple and classic gnocchi with some earthy herbs, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil and Parmesan. To use up some cranberry sauce I'd saved, I used all of the leftovers and kept the flavors festive for a rosemary gnocchi with a side of cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes (I had about 1 potato worth of them)
Flour (1 cup per potato)
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
Pinch of herbs (dried or fresh rosemary)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until you’ve created a dough that holds together. Add flour as you mix together. Flour a surface for rolling the dough. Form long worms of dough by rolling the dough in between your hands. I find it easiest to divide up the dough so they’re more manageable to roll. Cut into about 1 inch pieces and roll a fork over the top to give them some texture.
Season a pot of water with a few large pinches of salt and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi to the pot. They won't take long to cook, and will float to the top once they're done cooking.
Simmer herbs on a low heat to infuse with the oil before adding the cooked gnocchi to the pan.
Fry gnocchi until they’re golden brown on each side and serve!
At the end of the day, it's always easier to reheat leftovers. Once everything has quieted down, I personally find comfort in a little experimentation, and I encourage you to play as well! What are some of the holiday leftovers in your fridge, or what did you add to your gnocchi the last time you made it?
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