Instant Potato Gnocchi
A quick and easy version of a robust Italian winter dish. It’s versatile - use these “dumplings” as a pasta or a foundation for the entree (maybe Smothered Mushroom Chicken? recipe follows below).
This recipe doubles or triples and works well with a simple tomato sauce, butter and sage, or with butter or good olive oil add a grind of black pepper and some Parmesan cheese.
For the Smothered Mushroom Chicken recipe, this should be tripled.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup dry potato buds for instant mashed potatoes
2/3 cup boiling water
1 egg, room temperature,lightly beaten with a fork
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Yield: 2 servings
PUT the potato flakes or buds in a medium-size bowl and add the boiling water; stir until blended then let cool.
FOLD in the egg and salt with a wooden or plastic spoon or spatula.
ADD flour slowly, folding with the spatula, until you have a fairly firm dough that doesn’t stick to the bowl.
TURN dough out onto a well floured surface and knead lightly into a ball.
You want just be able to work with the mixture without it sticking unduly- but too much flour will result in gnocchi that are more lead than light.
CUT dough in half and ROLL each half into a long cylinder about the thickness of your thumb.
Cut into bite-size pieces.
You can dust lightly with flour or semolina and set aside for a few hours.
TO COOK- put 6 to 8 gnocchi in a few quarts of boiling, salted water (too many at once interferes in the cooking process).
As the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot, remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in a sieve over a plate to drain further until you are ready to serve.
Repeat until all are cooked.
Mushroom Smothered Chicken Recipe
You’ve got to try this recipe! It’s easy and presents beautifully over Instant Gnocchi or a toasted baguette.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2-3 lbs meaty chicken pieces, skinned (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks)
2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)
6 cups halved fresh mushrooms (such as morel, chanterelle, shiitake ,stems removed, and/or button)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 tablespoons whipping cream (optional)
instant gnocchi or toasted baguette, sliced (optional)
Yield: 6 servings
In a plastic bag combine flour, salt, and black pepper; then add chicken pieces, a few at a time, shaking to coat.
In a 12-inch skillet brown chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, turning occasionally.
Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic to skillet and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits.
Return chicken to pan and add white wine or chicken broth, broth, basil, and thyme.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and remove chicken; cover and keep warm.
Increase heat to medium and gently boil sauce, uncovered, for 5 minutes- if desired, stir in whipping cream.
Serve chicken and sauce over toasted baguette slices and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
B-man 
