Al pastor gnocchi

Name: Al pastor gnocchi
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi (16 to 17 oz); 1 lb ground pork; 2 tbsp achiote paste (recado rojo, the annatto is the red color); 2 canned chipotles in adobo, minced (plus 1 tbsp of the adobo); 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 cups fresh pineapple, in ½-inch pieces; 1 cup tomatillo salsa verde (store-bought is fine); 1 small white onion, finely diced; 2 limes, cut into wedges; 1 tbsp neutral oil; a big handful of cilantro, chopped; salt

The crisp spit-roasted edges of al pastor, faked in a skillet. Pork, charred pineapple, a green pool of salsa verde.

At a Glance

Time

35 min

Serves

Story

Al pastor is a Mexican dish with a Lebanese accent, marinated pork stacked on a vertical spit, a technique Lebanese immigrants carried to Puebla last century and Mexico made entirely its own. The prize is the crisp caramelized edge shaved off the outside of the trompo. There is no spit in your kitchen, so the crisp gnocchi takes that job, each one a charred little shard carrying the marinade. The achiote is annatto seed, more earthy color than heat, so lean on the chipotle for the burn.

Ingredients

1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi16 to 17 oz
1 lb ground pork
2 tbsp achiote pasterecado rojo, the annatto is the red color
2 canned chipotles in adobominced (plus 1 tbsp of the adobo)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups fresh pineapplein ½-inch pieces
1 cup tomatillo salsa verdestore-bought is fine
1 small white onionfinely diced
2 limescut into wedges
1 tbsp neutral oil
a big handful of cilantrochopped
salt

Method

Al pastor without the spit, without the marinating overnight, but with the one thing that actually matters, a crisp charred edge on every bite. The gnocchi is how you get it on a weeknight.

Stir the achiote paste, chipotles and their adobo, the cumin and a good pinch of salt into the ground pork. Let it sit while you get everything else ready, 10 minutes is plenty.
Heat the neutral oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium high. Char the pineapple hard, tossing now and then, 5 to 6 minutes, until blackened at the edges. Lift it out. The sugar in the fruit is what catches and caramelizes the way the spit-roast tip does.
Brown the pork in the same pan, breaking it into craggy bits, until deeply colored with crisp edges. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat.
Crisp the gnocchi in that fat, a splash of oil only if the pan looks dry, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2, until golden.
Spread the salsa verde across a platter. Toss the pork and pineapple back through the gnocchi, pile it onto the green pool, and shower with white onion and cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze over.

For a crowd

12-14 people

Brown three pounds of pork in batches so it sears, and roast the pineapple on its own sheet pan at 450°F for 20 minutes until the edges blacken. Crisp three packages of gnocchi across two more pans tossed with oil at the same heat, 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden. Spread the salsa verde over your platters, pile everything on at the last minute, and set out bowls of white onion, cilantro and lime for people to finish their own.