Gnocchi Au Gratin Orleans
Why I Love This Recipe
While we regularly make homemade gnocchi and red sauce (recipe to come in a future post, but this is a nice way to change things up. I am working on altering the recipe to use greek yogurt or some other thickener, but for now, we only have this about every 2 months or so due to the relatively high calorie count. Still, it is a nice treat. The slight heat of Emeril’s Essence contrasts nicely with the creamy sauce.
To turn this into a complete meal, we poach or grill a couple of chicken breasts and then slightly shred or cut it up and add it to the sauce. We have made this with both homemade gnocchi and pre-packaged. It works well with both.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 package gnocchi (16 ounces)
3 slices of smokey bacon
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Louisiana hot Sauce)
Emeril's Essence, recipe follows
2/3 cup grated Parmesan (reserve 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
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Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Once cooled, crumble and reserve.
Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet and add the onions. Saute for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
While the veggies are sauteing, place the gnocchi in an oven-proof dish and season with Essence.
After the garlic has been in the skillet for a minute, slowly whisk in the cream, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Bring the sauce up to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking the sauce until it thickens and reduces by 1/3.
Pour the sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle the dish with the grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 5 minutes, remove dish from oven and sprinkle the crumbled bacon, chopped parsley and reserved Parmesan cheese over the top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 3 to 4 more minutes.
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
