Meatless Mondays – Potato Gnocchi w/Avocado Garlic Cream Sauce

Avocado recipes are super in right now. We are a big avocado family too… they were one of our toddler’s first favorite foods, and my husband is Mexican and could basically live off of tacos and guacamole.

One thing I had never really thought about before was using avocado in a sauce, but I have seen recipe ideas circulating like this. I can’t say that I have read any of them to see what they are all about, but I have a good feel for how to throw together a decent cream sauce on my own, so tonight I went for it. Verdict… YUM!

The Gnocchi recipe I used is from Food&Wine.com and turned out great. The sauce was all my own! It is one of those dishes that is very savory & saucy, so pictures don’t look stellar and you will just have to take my word for it.

Overall, it is relatively simple and foolproof. I hope you enjoy!

Gnocchi Ingredients:

• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4)
• 2 large egg yolks
• Salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 garlic cloves, diced finely
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk (we use 2% in our house but if you went with heavy cream it would sure make this more savory!)
• 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

GNOCCHI DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Poke your potatoes all over with a fork. Bake in the oven for about one hour, until tender.

 

Halve the potatoes. Scoop the middles out and shred small in a food processor. Transfer 2 slightly packed cups of riced potatoes to a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the 1/2 cup of flour; stir until a stiff dough forms. Knead the dough gently until smooth but slightly sticky.

 

On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 pieces, rolling each into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the ropes into 3/4-inch pieces. Roll each piece against the tines of a fork to make ridges.

 

In a large, deep skillet of simmering salted water, cook the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, then simmer for 2 minutes longer.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat for 1 minute until they have just a little golden brown on them.

 

SAUCE DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan over low-medium heat, melt your butter. Toss in your garlic and cook about 4-5 minutes.

Next, add your flour to make a roux. Your butter and flour will thicken quickly. Stir with a whisk and avoid burning.

Slowly add your milk just a little at a time, whisking after each addition. The sauce should remain relatively thick through the whole process.

Once all your milk has been added, toss in your mashed avocados. Lastly, stir in your Parmesan cheese. Once the cheese is melted, your sauce is done!

 

Plate your gnocchi and pour your sauce over top. Garnish with a little extra grated cheese and any extra slices of avocado. Enjoy!