Gnocchi Poutine Skillet
Say hello to the Gnocchi Poutine Skillet. Crispy pancetta and mortadella tossed with garlic and gnocchi to then be lathered up in marinara. Lastly, the final touches of creamy mozzarella and parmesan cheese as the glue to hold this divine dish all together!
Creating your own style poutine is always fun and delicious. Once you throw a pile of fries onto the plate, your ideas can be endless. I thought it would be fun to get creative with Italian inspired ingredients, and I’ve had some inspiration from a delicious Italian restaurant for the idea of using gnocchi. Below I provided guidelines because you can explore with your own flavors and ideas.
Guidelines For Creating an Italian Poutine
What You Will Need:
Base:
Potato gnocchi- these make a great base for the skillet and cook beautifully. They also pair so well with all the Italian flavors and toppings on this dish.
French fries- if you want to keep the base to your Italian poutine original, then keep the French fries, you can’t go wrong with these guys.
Meat topping choices:
Pancetta- you can ask the deli counter to cut you a thick chunk of a slice, that’s at least ¼ pound to almost ½ a pound. Another option is some deli counters or grocery stores have pre packaged diced pancetta. In my experience, it is never as flavorful as the deli’s. The only packaged one I have really liked is the Boar’s Head brand.
Mortadella- You’ll need to ask the deli to cut you a thick slice. At least ¼ pound to ½ pound in weight.
Sauce:
Classic Marinara: this is a great choice to keep things simple, especially with all the other additions added in this bowl.
Meat sauce: a bolognese or any other kind of sauce with meat cooked in it is a delicious choice if you are only adding cheese and fresh herbs. If you are adding little pieces of other meat, I would stick to something simple like a marinara.
Cheese choices:
Mozzarella- the perfect choice for a cheese that will melt giving the poutine cheese it needs.
Fresh mozzarella is always best. Cut it into small chunks or shred.
Bocconcini is great because they are already small little balls of delicious mozzarella cheese.
Mozzarella pearls- sometimes you can find these at the grocery store which I like best because they are already in the perfect size of a fresh mozzarella bite.
Garnish:
Parmesan, asiago, or pecorino- grate any of these cheeses overtop for some extra zest in your garnish.
Herbs- fresh basil or parsley.
Spice- crushed red chili flakes
What To Do:
Prepare your base.
Top with mozzarella, meats (if using), then hot sauce to melt the cheese.
Garnish with freshly grated cheese and fresh herbs like basil and parsley.
Gnocchi Poutine Skillet
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons red chili flakes
12 oz. (340g) potato gnocchi (1 cup or so)
2-3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup diced pancetta
1 cup cubed mortadella pieces
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 cup fresh mozzarella (bocconcini or pearls)
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
Shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Begin heating a cast iron skillet over (or another pan) over medium heat. Once hot, add: olive oil, garlic clove, chili pepper flakes and 2 basil stems. Let saute for a minute, until fragrant.
Add pancetta and mortadella. Stir, remove garlic and basil stems. Let cook for a couple minutes until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally. Once crispy, transfer to a small bowl, set aside.
While the heat is still on medium, add the gnocchi to the skillet with the oil left behind from the pancetta fat. Continuously stir so the gnocchi doesn’t stick to the pan. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes, until they soften and become crispy on the outside.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add: crispy pancetta and mortadella, mozzarella cheese pearls or chunks, hot marinara sauce.
Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped basil and parsley. Serve immediately.
We’d love to see your finished product! Post your picture on Instagram, tag us @danimade.kitchen and hashtag it #danimade