Butter Me Up!

Last night I was hungry, but didn't feel like going to any major effort to get some food in my head.... it's been a loooong week.  So I went to the store and roamed the aisles looking for inspiration.  I found it in a package of fresh potato and ricotta gnocchi.  I make my own (and sweet potato gnocchi - yum!), but I just didn't have the energy for that, so I broke my "no packaged food" rule - fitting perfectly in my 80/20 rule.  The 80/20 rule is that 80% of the time I eat right (real, healthy, whole foods), so that 20% of the time when I veer off track, I don't have to beat myself up.

Maybe it's the time of year, maybe it's the simplicity that I was looking for, but either way, I was going to really work that 80/20 rule with a Sage-Brown Butter Sauce.  When I posted the picture of my dinner on facebook, I got a huge hit of "likes" immediately....everyone loves butter, apparently! Duh.

This is such a great quick weeknight fix...I think once the water was boiling, it took about 5 minutes to get dinner on the table.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and toss in the gnocchi.  When they float to the top, they're done.  Get them out with a slotted spoon, and save the cooking liquid in case you want a little starchy water for your sauce.  I use this approach whenever I cook pasta.

I grow sage in my backyard, so I plucked about 8 leaves for my sauce.  You can put them in whole, which looks pretty, but I like to run a knife through them, rough chop, to release even more of that earthy sage flavor.

Melt a stick of butter (I know, it hurts me a little bit to write that, but once in a while it won't kill you) in a large skillet and add the sage leaves.  When the butter is sizzling, add walnuts or pecans, and continue cooking a few minutes until butter starts to brown and nuts get lightly toasted.

Add the gnocchi to the skillet and toss it in the lovely sauce.  I added a little bit of chopped spinach (trying to make me feel better about all the butter!) and then topped it all with a tiny bit of gorgonzola.  I can hear the leftovers calling my name.

Oh come on, you know you want to.....

 

Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Serves 2-3

12 oz. fresh gnocchi
1 stick unsalted butter
8-10 sage leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
2 cups chopped baby spinach
2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
Salt & pepper to taste.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. (Pasta water should taste like the sea.)
• Add gnocchi.  When they float to the top, they are done; just a few minutes.  Remove from pot,
• Meanwhile melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add sage.
• When butter begins to sizzle, add nuts and stir to coat with butter.
• When butter begins to brown, after about 2-3 minutes, add cooked gnocchi and spinach.
• Stir until spinach is wilted.
• Remove from heat, top with gorgonzola and season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can thank me later......