Best 2 Crispy Gnocchi With Littleneck Clams Recipes

CRISPY GNOCCHI WITH LITTLENECK CLAMS

Steps:

• Preheat to 425°F. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and place directly on oven rack; roast until flesh is very soft when squeezed gently and skin is crisp, 60-75 minutes. Immediately slice open lengthwise and scoop out flesh; set skins aside. Pass potato flesh through ricer onto a clean work surface. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, bring clams, reserved potato skins, and 1 cup water to a boil in a large pot. Cover and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until clams open, 5-8 minutes; discard any clams that do not open. Pluck clams from shells and place in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use. Pour clam cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• Dust riced potatoes with 3/4 cup flour and sprinkle with 2 tsp. or 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Drizzle egg over, then use a fork or your fingers to gently mix ingredients until just incorporated and a smooth dough forms (be careful not to overwork or cooked gnocchi will be gluey and tough), about 3 minutes. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with 1/2" round tip. (Alternatively, use a large resealable plastic bag and snip off 1 corner.)
• Pipe dough onto a lightly floured surface into 24" lengths about 1/2" thick. Cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces and dust lightly with flour. Arrange gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet.
• Working in 3 batches, cook gnocchi in a large pot of simmering lightly salted water until doubled in size and they float to the top, about 3 minutes (a minute or so more if frozen). Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a rimmed baking sheet as they are done cooking. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Melt a third of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add one-third of gnocchi to skillet and arrange in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until dark brown and crisp underneath, about 5 minutes. Transfer to another rimmed baking sheet. Working in 2 batches, repeat with remaining butter and remaining gnocchi.
• Wipe out skillet and heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add clam cooking liquid and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid and bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add clams, gnocchi, and lemon juice to sauce; season with salt and pepper. Cook, gently tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats gnocchi.
• Divide gnocchi among bowls and top with chives.
• Do Ahead
• Gnocchi can be formed 1 month ahead. Freeze on baking sheet until solid; transfer to resealable plastic bags. Clams can be cooked 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill clams and cooking liquid separately.

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE "CLAM CHOWDER"

Steps:

• For the chowder: In a 6-quart pot lined with a pasta basket or pasta insert, bring 1 gallon salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Potato and Chive Gnocchi to the pot and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• In a medium saute pan set over medium to low heat, cook the bacon until almost crisp, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the clams and Clam Stock. At this point remove the gnocchi from the pasta water and add it to the saute pan. Turn the heat to high and reduce the liquid by one-third, about 30 seconds. Add the heavy cream, butter and lemon juice. Continue to cook over high heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and season with salt and black pepper.
• In a separate, small bowl, combine the celery leaves, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss until coated and season with salt and black pepper.
• To plate, spoon the gnocchi into a bowl and pour sauce over the top. Garnish with Crispy Shallots and top with the dressed celery leaves.
• While still hot, remove the skins from the potatoes. Pass the potatoes through a ricer or a sieve onto a clean work surface. Mix the riced potatoes, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, egg and chives together until fully incorporated. Form the potato mixture into a square and top with the flour. Using a bench scraper, cut the flour into the potato mixture until completely incorporated. The dough should be tender to the touch and just a tiny bit moist. Do not overwork the dough or the gnocchi produced will be tough. Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
• Once the dough has rested, divide the dough into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, make snakes with each piece of dough by using your hands and rolling the dough back and forth. Then, using a bench scraper, cut each length of dough into 1/2-inch pieces. One serving is 15 pieces.
• Purge the clams in cold salted water for about 2 hours. This will remove any sand and grit from the clams.
• Place the littleneck clams into a pot with the garlic, carrots, celery, onions, cracked black peppercorns, parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Cover the clams with 1 gallon water, and then cover the pot with foil. Bring to a boil on the stove until the clams have opened, about 10 minutes. Strain all the liquid and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any sand. Reserve the liquid as our clam stock. Then pick all the meat from the clams and reserve for the chowder.
• Soak the sliced shallots in the milk for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 250 degrees F.
• While the shallots are soaking, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne and paprika and mix thoroughly. Then remove the shallots from the milk and squeeze out all the liquid. Lightly coat them with the seasoned flour. Fry the shallots until they are a light golden color, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper.