Potato Gnocchi with Chorizo Sauce from Los Fuegos

serves three
Ingredients
Gnocchi:
3 lbs baking potatoes
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 c all-purpose flour (plus more, for dusting)
1 1/2 c Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
4 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
Chorizo Sauce:
3 medium tomatoes
1 lb chorizo, fresh and with casings removed
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 carrot, coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp sugar
2 c chicken stock
1/4 c Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated (plus more, for garnish)
1 1/2 tsp minced oregano (plus sprigs, for garnish)
Crushed red pepper, for garnish
Method

For the gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 400. Prick the potatoes with a fork and wrap them in foil. Bake until tender, for at least an hour. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Press the potatoes through a ricer onto a work surface. (You should have about six loosely-packed cups.) Gently spread the potatoes into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Scrape the egg yolks on top. Mix the flour, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together and spread the mixture on top of the potatoes. Using a pastry scraper, swiftly chop the ingredients together. Knead gently until the dough forms a smooth ball. Cut into eight wedges and cover with a kitchen towel.

Lightly dust two rimmed baking sheets with flour. Roll one wedge of gnocchi dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, about 18 inches long. Using a knife, cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces and transfer the dough to a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the gnocchi with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until the gnocchi is firm.

For the chorizo sauce: While the gnocchi is firming, coarsely grate the tomatoes on a box grater over a medium bowl, and discard the skins. You should have about 1 3/4 cups of tomato purée. In a deep, medium-sized skillet, cook the chorizo over moderate heat, breaking up any clumps, until it begins to brown. (This should take 8-10 minutes.) Scrape the chorizo onto a plate.

Heat the oil in the skillet. Add onion and season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook over moderate heat for about five to seven minutes, or until golden brown. Add carrots and garlic and cook, stirring until softened, for about two minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Deglaze the skillet with wine, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for about three minutes, until the wine has reduced by two-thirds. Return the chorizo to the skillet with the tomato purée, bay leaf, sugar, and chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a boil. Let it simmer over moderately-low heat, stirring until reduced by half. (This should take about 45 minutes.) Stir in the 1/4 cup of cheese and minced oregano. Season with salt and black pepper. Keep warm.

For the dish: In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the gnocchi in three batches, until tender. (You’ll likely need to cook each batch for about 
6 1/2 minutes.) The gnocchi will float to the top after one to two minutes. Keep cooking them anyway.
To serve: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi to a warm platter. Spoon the chorizo sauce on top. Garnish with grated cheese, oregano sprigs, and red pepper.
NOTE: Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen for up to one month. Boil it without defrosting. The chorizo sauce can be refrigerated for up to four days and gently reheated.
Los Fuegos is located at 3201 Collins Avenue.