Caesar gnocchi, the crouton situation

Name: Caesar gnocchi, the crouton situation
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi (16 to 17 oz); 2 romaine hearts, chopped (or lacinato kale, massaged); 1 egg yolk; 4 anchovy fillets, minced (plus more, they are the point); 1 garlic clove, grated; ½ lemon, juiced; 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 2 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated (plus more to finish); ¼ cup panko (optional, for pangrattato); salt and black pepper

The crisp gnocchi is the crouton. Massaged romaine, a proper yolk-and-anchovy dressing, a blizzard of pecorino.

At a Glance

Time

25 min

Serves

Story

Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana, not Italy, by Caesar Cardini on a slammed Fourth of July in 1924 out of what was left in the kitchen. The original had no anchovy at all, the savory hit came from Worcestershire, and the whole romaine leaves were built to be lifted and eaten by hand. A real Caesar dressing is an egg-yolk emulsion, not a spoonful of mayonnaise, and that is what gives it the glossy cling.

Ingredients

1 × 16 oz package shelf-stable potato gnocchi16 to 17 oz
2 romaine heartschopped (or lacinato kale, massaged)
1 egg yolk
4 anchovy filletsminced (plus more, they are the point)
1 garlic clovegrated
½ lemonjuiced
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 oz Pecorino Romanofinely grated (plus more to finish)
¼ cup pankooptional, for pangrattato
salt and black pepper

Method

The crouton pun that turns out to be dinner. The dressing is the whole game, so build it first and make it loud.

Whisk the egg yolk, anchovy, garlic and lemon juice in a large bowl, then stream in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil a little at a time until it turns glossy and thick. Stir in the pecorino and plenty of black pepper. Taste, it should be sharp and savory and a little aggressive.
If you want the extra crunch, toast the panko in the last tablespoon of oil in a small pan until golden, then tip it out to cool.
Crisp the gnocchi in a large skillet, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2, until golden all over. Let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes.
Toss the romaine through the dressing until every ribbon is coated, then add the warm gnocchi and the pangrattato and toss once more.
Finish with a blizzard of pecorino, more black pepper, and a few extra anchovies laid over the top for anyone brave enough.

For a crowd

12-14 people

Scale the dressing by eye in your biggest bowl and taste as you go, it wants to be punchy. Crisp three packages of gnocchi across two sheet pans at 450°F for 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden, and toss them through at the very last minute so they stay crisp against the leaves rather than going soft in the dressing.

On the pass