Gnocchi in Brown Butter Sage Sauce

With only a few precious months of my herb garden being able to grow in Toronto, it's hard for me to snip out any of my herbs, but when it looks like a sage monster is trying to escape out of your herb garden pot and devour the rest of the herbs, you know it's definitely time to do some snipping!  I couldn't let any of the sage that I snipped out go to waste, so I had to think up an easy and quick recipe that I could make to utilize all that delicious sage.  With a fresh package of potato gnocchi in the fridge, and little other sauce ingredients, I knew I had my dinner fix! I have tried making a brown butter and sage sauce in the past but unfortunately learned the hard way that brown butter can turn black very quickly. With my brown butter burning memory clear in my mind, I knew I could perfect the simple sauce this time around. The last time I attempted the sauce I was pouring it over delicious sweet potato agnolotti which already has a lot of flavour in it. I knew the dish would be a little one dimensional if I had left it as is with just the mild flavoured gnocchi, so I kicked up the flavour by adding fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, and lots of parmesan cheese. I also wanted to play around with the texture of the dish a little bit. I was able to achieve a slightly crispy coating to the soft and slightly chewy gnocchi by sautéing it until golden in a pan. A quick toss with the nutty and sage infused brown butter, a squeeze of lemon, a bit of seasoning and you've got an elegant, satisfying, and quick weeknight meal that will keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients:
about 8 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
about 10-15 fresh sage leaves
1 package potato gnocchi
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to top

Directions:

1. Cook gnocchi according to instructions on package.
2. Heat a large skillet at medium heat. When pan is hot, add the butter.  Whisk frequently as butter melts. When butter has melted, add the sage leaves.
3. The butter will foam up then die down and will begin to turn brown. Keep your eye on the stove as the butter can burn really quickly at this point. When you begin to see brown specks form at the bottom of the pan and the butter begins to smell a little nutty, turn the heat off immediately and take the pan off the heat. Pour butter into a glass cup/measuring cup and set aside.
4. When the gnocchi are cooked, rinse and add to the same skillet that the butter was melted in. Add a small amount of butter and sauté the gnocchi at medium - medium-high heat until the gnocchi begins to get golden in colour.
5. Meanwhile, use a spoon to carefully scoop out the white bits that will form at the top of the butter so that you are only left with brown butter. 
6. Once gnocchi is golden, add the brown butter and sage back into the pan at medium-low heat and toss to coat. Add the lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper, and top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Listening To:
Frank Ocean - Sweet Life

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