French onion gnocchi

Name: French onion gnocchi
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French, Italian
Ingredients: 1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi (16 to 17 oz); 5 yellow onions, thinly sliced; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 4 tbsp dry sherry (or dry white wine); 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or Chinese black vinegar, plus a splash more to taste); ½ cup chicken stock; 6 oz Gruyère, grated; 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (about 6 sprigs); salt and black pepper

Onions taken all the way down, crisp gnocchi folded in, a lid of Gruyère melted over the top.

At a Glance

Time

60 min

Serves

Story

Real caramelized onions take 40 to 45 minutes, not the 15 every rushed recipe promises, and there is no honest shortcut. A pinch of baking soda speeds the browning but turns them to mush, so the only way through is low heat, patience and a splash of water whenever the fond starts to catch, scraping up the sticky brown film each time. That fond is the whole flavor. The crisp gnocchi stands in for the raft of toasted bread that usually holds the cheese.

Ingredients

1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi16 to 17 oz
5 yellow onionsthinly sliced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp dry sherryor dry white wine
1 tbsp sherry vinegaror Chinese black vinegar, plus a splash more to taste
½ cup chicken stock
6 oz Gruyèregrated
1 tbsp fresh thyme leavesabout 6 sprigs
salt and black pepper

Method

French onion soup that gave up the bowl and kept the good part. It is slow but almost entirely unattended, so pour a glass and stir when you walk past.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-low. Add the onions and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 40 to 45 minutes. When the brown film builds on the pan, splash in a little water and scrape it back into the onions. They are done when deep mahogany and jammy.
Turn the heat up, pour in the sherry and let it bubble away, scraping the pan. Add the thyme and stock and simmer to a loose, glossy sauce. Season, then sharpen it with the sherry vinegar, it should prickle against the sweetness.
Meanwhile crisp the gnocchi in a separate skillet, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2, until golden.
Fold the gnocchi into the onions, then scatter the Gruyère over the top and melt it under the broiler or with a lid until molten and blistered.
Finish with more thyme, black pepper and a last splash of vinegar.

For a crowd

12-14 people

The onions are the make-ahead here, so caramelize a big batch of five to six pounds a day early and keep them in the fridge. On the day, warm them with the sherry and stock, crisp three packages of gnocchi across two sheet pans at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes, fold everything together in baking dishes, blanket with Gruyère and melt under the broiler until bubbling and blistered.