Mashed Potato Gnocchi

Use up those leftover potatoes with this easy recipe for mashed potato gnocchi!  Fun to make and delicious to eat.

Well, Thanksgiving may be behind us now, but if your house is anything like mine, I’m thankful that the leftovers are still with us!

I’m definitely making shepherd’s pie this week with some of the leftover peas and carrots and mashed potatoes, and I am working on a Thanksgiving leftovers soup recipe.

But my favorite recipe for leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes – or leftover mashed potatoes at any time – is this easy recipe for mashed potato gnocchi.

Gnocchi is, after all, usually a combo of potatoes and flour, and the mashed potatoes have already done half the gnocchi-making work for you!

But before we get into that, how was your Thanksgiving? Ours was a combo of missing people we love mixed with gratitude for the ones we had around our table.

It was our first Thanksgiving in the Carolina dream house, and it was so nice that we decided to eat on the verandah table in the fresh air!

I missed my mama’s beautiful table decorations, but I did my best with the wildflowers from our meadow mixed in with some holly and pine from the back yard…

…we all ate our fair share of turkey and ham and mac and cheese and mashed potatoes and peas and carrots and pie and cake.

Followed by a long winter’s nap!

Then I spent Friday doing pretty much nothing at all, the way you are supposed to after Thanksgiving.

But now I am all about repurposing the leftovers, starting with the mashed potatoes!

Here’s how you make mashed potato gnocchi!

Put a cup of mashed potatoes, one egg and a cup of flour in a bowl and mix until well combined. (This is going to make enough delectable gnocchi for two people, so go ahead and double or triple it if you want more!)

Dust your counter with a little flour.  I also sometimes use a Silpat for this so things don’t get too sticky.

Pick up the potato dough and form it into a ball, rolling it on the counter.  

It should hold together without being too sticky – you can add a little extra flour if you need to.  

Pull the ball into four sections, and then roll each section into a rope – you want it to be about one inch thick or so.

Use a sharp knife to cut the ropes into 1 inch long gnocchis.  

If you want to get extra fancy, you can gently press the tine of a fork into each one to get those classic gnocchi lines – they help hold the sauce!

Now all you need to do is cook them up!

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily.  Carefully drop in the gnocchi and cook them until they are done – they will float to the surface when they are finished cooking.  Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

Divide them among plates and serve with tomato sauce, butter, pesto or whatever sauce your heart desires!

Mashed potatoes – the suppertime gift that keeps on giving!

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