CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The concept for Rooster's restaurants began taking shape in 2004 and already there are two in the Charlotte area. The first opened in South Park and in April a second location sprouted on North College Street uptown.
Chef Joe Kindred and Roosters Uptown GM Bo Buxton visited WBTV News Sunday Morning to talk a little about the restaurants and share the following recipe:
Potato Gnocchi with Fisher Farms Sun Gold Tomatoes and Parmigiano Reggiano
12 Idaho Potatoes, washed, baked, peeled and put through a ricer
8 cups "00" flour or all purpose flour if "double zero" is not available
1/4 cup salt for gnocchi dough
4 egg yolks
1lb of sun gold tomatoes, available at the Matthews Farmers Market
Crushed garlic (1 clove of fresh or 1tsp of jarred crushed garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (we strongly recommend getting the real stuff…it's a little expensive but a little goes a long way and it makes the dish! If you want to substitute with a less expensive cheese look for Grana Padano first or even Tuscan Pecorino…but really there is no substitute for the King of cheeses!)
Red pepper flakes (chili flakes)
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Bring Large pot of water to a boil
- For the sauce, take your sun gold tomatoes (or substitute cherry tomatoes if out of season), cut in half and marinate in olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper and chili flake to taste (you can omit the chili flake if you are sensitive to chili peppers
- Meanwhile, bake whole skin-on potatoes in preheated 400 degree oven, directly on rack until you can easily pierce with a knife through the center
- Let cool till you are able to handle. Peel off skin and put insides of potatoes through a ricer (or mash with a potato masher until lumps are gone)
- Pour the potatoes onto a work surface and make a well in the center, put the egg yolks, flour and 1/4 cup of salt into the well
- Using a bench scraper or a large heavy chefs knife cut the yolks, flour and salt into the dough until no longer visible, working the outsides of the "well" into the center
- Once yolks and flour are incorporated, knead the mixture until a soft pliable dough forms
- Cut off one generous handful of the dough and roll into long cylinders on a floured surface until about 1.5" in diameter
- Cut with knife to desired size (normally about an inch or so long)
- Take a baking sheet and generously coat with flour
- Take the gnocchi after they are cut into individual bite size pieces and put on floured baking sheet to prevent them from sticking to surface and to each other
- Repeat until all the dough is cut into gnocchi
- In small batches blanch gnocchi in the pot of boiling water you started earlier (they are done when they float to the top)
- Remove cooked gnocchi from water and put on a separate baking sheet coated with olive oil and repeat until you have blanched all your gnocchi
- At this point you can bag a freeze as much or as little of your gnocchi as you want (it will keep for weeks in the freezer)
- Get a sauce pan very hot and add 2 ounces of marinated tomato mixture and a handful of the blanched gnocchi
- Toss until sauce is hot and bubbling, remove from the heat and add parmigiano reggiano and basil
- Serve immediately
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