Potato Gnocchi with Quick Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 pound boiling potatoes, cooked skin-on, cooled and peeled
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup flour, plus extra, if needed
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups seeded, diced fresh or canned tomatoes and juice
2 tablespoons chopped basil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Instructions

Make gnocchi: Cut potatoes into chunks and pass through a food mill or potato ricer onto a lightly floured surface. Make a well in center of potatoes and add yolk to well. Sprinkle one-third of the flour over potatoes and combine potatoes, yolk and flour, mixing with your hands. Add another third of flour, kneading, then remaining flour, until a smooth, slightly sticky dough is formed. Divide dough in 4 pieces and roll each into a 15-inch-long rope, about 3/4-inch in diameter. Using a floured knife, cut each rope into 30 pieces. Dip tines of a dinner fork in flour and gently roll dough several times back and forth to form decorative ridges on one side.

Make tomato sauce: In a saucepan sweat onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until onions are golden and tender, 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice; bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in gnocchi. Cook until they rise to surface, about 2 minutes, and continue cooking 30 seconds more. Drain in a colander. In a large skillet, melt butter, add gnocchi, pour tomato sauce over, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings