Williamsburg Gnocchi Bolognese

Before you start

• Clear your schedule.

  This is a four-hour Sunday project; do not attempt to rush the simmer on a Tuesday night. The Maillard reaction from browning the meat and the slow reduction of the crushed tomatoes take time to develop into a proper gravy.

Ingredients

• extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup
• yellow onion1 large
• carrot1 large
• celery stalk1 large
• garlic cloves6 large
• crushed red pepper flakes1/2 tsp
• ground beef (80/20 chuck)1/2 lb
• ground pork1/2 lb
• tomato paste6 oz
• dry red wine1/2 cup
• whole peeled tomatoes28 oz
• crushed tomatoes28 oz
• bay leaves2 large
• fresh thyme sprigs3 small
• fresh basil leaves1/2 cup
• Parmigiano-Reggiano1/2 cup
• starchy potatoes1 kg
• All-Purpose flour2 cup
• egg1 large
• Kosher salt1 tsp

Method

1. 01

   Place your Dutch oven over medium heat with the olive oil, then sauté the diced onion, carrot, and celery until softened.

   After 8 to 10 minutes, add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for exactly one minute until the garlic violently perfumes the kitchen.

2. 02

   Increase the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef and pork, breaking the meat apart into fine crumbles.

   Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until the water evaporates and the meat is deeply browned and sizzling in its own fat. Do not drain the fat; that is flavor.

3. 03

   Clear a hot spot in the center of the pot and squeeze in the tomato paste.

   Let the paste fry in the fat for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring it into the meat, until it turns from bright red to a deep, rusty brick color.

4. 04

   Pour in the red wine, scrape up all the caramelized brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, and let it reduce until the smell of raw alcohol cooks off.

   This deglazing step should only take about 3 minutes and builds the foundational depth of the gravy.

5. 05

   Pour in the hand-crushed whole tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes, tossing in the bay leaves, thyme, and torn basil.

   Bring the pot to a bubbling boil, then immediately drop the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape.

6. 06

   Let the sauce simmer for a minimum of 4 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes and scraping the bottom so nothing burns.

   Over time, the sauce will reduce, darken, and a layer of glistening orange fat will rise to the top. Taste for seasoning in the last hour and stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

7. 07

   During the last hour of the sauce's simmer, place the whole, unpeeled potatoes into a large pot of cold, heavily salted water.

   Bring to a boil and cook for 40 to 50 minutes until a paring knife slides easily into the center of the largest potato. Do not peel them before boiling; exposed potato flesh acts like a sponge, and watery potatoes mean dense, heavy gnocchi.

8. 08

   Drain the potatoes and, while they are still as hot as your hands can tolerate, peel off the skins and immediately press them through a potato ricer.

   Rice them directly onto a clean countertop or a large sheet pan. If you don't own a ricer, wait for them to cool slightly and use the large holes of a box grater. Spread them out and let the steam evaporate for 5 minutes.

9. 09

   Sprinkle the salt over the potatoes, drizzle the beaten egg evenly over the top, and dust with 1 1/2 cups of the flour.

   Quickly fold the mixture together using a bench scraper or your hands. Knead gently and swiftly just until it forms a soft, slightly tacky ball, adding the remaining flour only if it is too sticky. Do not over-knead.

10. 10

    Cut the dough into 4 sections, rolling each out into a long snake about 3/4-inch thick, then cut into 1-inch pillows.

    Keep the unrolled sections covered with a clean kitchen towel so they don't dry out.

11. 11

    Press a piece of gnocchi against the back of a fork's tines with your thumb and roll it downward to create ridges on one side and a dimple on the other.

    This texture helps the heavy meat sauce cling to the dumpling. Place the finished gnocchi on a heavily floured sheet pan, making sure they do not touch.

12. 12

    Drop the gnocchi into a large pot of heavily salted boiling water in batches.

    They are cooked exactly when they float to the surface, which usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.

13. 13

    Use a slotted spoon to transfer the floating gnocchi directly into a large skillet, ladle a generous amount of hot Bolognese over them, and gently toss over medium heat for 1 minute.

    This allows the starch from the gnocchi to bind with the fat of the sauce. Serve immediately in warm shallow bowls, topped with a blizzard of grated Parmesan and a fresh basil leaf.

Notes

• The Foil-Wrapped Garlic Bread.

  Do not toast the bread face-up under the broiler. Slice a soft American supermarket French baguette horizontally, slather the interior with a heavy mash of softened butter, minced garlic, parsley, and salt, then wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes so the trapped steam softens the bread into a pull-apart sponge while the garlic-butter melts completely into the crumb.

• The Tableside Caesar.

  A proper Italian-American Caesar is about construction. Vigorously rub the inside of a large wooden bowl with a halved raw garlic clove, then whisk together a raw egg yolk, a squirt of anchovy paste, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and a slow drizzle of good olive oil until emulsified. Toss with crisp Romaine, a massive handful of grated Parmesan, and thick homemade croutons.