Poblano and sausage gnocchi with melting goat cheese
Roasted poblano, browned sausage and goat cheese gone saucy, crisp gnocchi through the middle.
At a Glance
Story
Rajas are strips of roasted poblano, the backbone of rajas con crema, and the roasting is the whole trick. Blister the skins black under the broiler or over a flame, then steam the peppers in a covered bowl so the skins slip off and the flesh turns sweet and silky instead of sharp and green. Goat cheese stands in for the crema here, melting off the heat into a tangy sauce that clings to every piece of gnocchi.
Ingredients
- 1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi16 to 17 oz
- 1 lb Italian sausagecasings removed (hot or sweet)
- 3 poblano peppersroasted, peeled and sliced into strips
- 1 yellow onionthinly sliced
- 2 garlic clovesminced
- 4 oz fresh goat cheesecrumbled
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 limecut into wedges
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- a big handful of cilantrochopped
- salt
Method
Rajas con crema with the crema swapped for goat cheese and the rice swapped for crisp gnocchi. Roast the poblanos first, everything after is fast.
- If the poblanos are not already roasted, blister them whole under a hot broiler until blackened all over, then seal them in a bowl with a plate on top for 10 minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skins. Rub them off, pull the stems and seeds, and slice the flesh into strips.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high, breaking it into craggy bits. Add the onion, garlic and cumin and cook until the onion is soft and going sweet, then fold in the poblano strips. Lift it all out, leaving the fat behind.
- Crisp the gnocchi in that rendered fat, a splash of oil only if the pan looks dry, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2, until golden.
- Off the heat, fold the sausage and poblanos back through the gnocchi and crumble in the goat cheese so it melts into a loose sauce. Squeeze over a lime wedge.
- Pile it up, shower with cilantro and a little more goat cheese, and serve with the rest of the lime.
For a crowd
Roast six poblanos on a sheet pan under the broiler until blackened, then steam and peel. Brown three pounds of sausage in batches, and crisp three packages of gnocchi across two pans tossed with oil at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Fold everything together in your biggest bowl and crumble the goat cheese through at the last minute so it melts but does not seize.
Gnocchi series
Crisp the gnocchi hard, then pile a dinner you already know on top. It improves nearly everything.
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