Crispy gnocchi is the best gnocchi

Especially when it's tossed with spinach, feta and tons of herbs.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 19, 2024 Hetty Lui McKinnon's crispy gnocchi with spinach and feta. Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. I may never boil gnocchi again By Mia Leimkuhler What's your favorite thing you've learned from New York Times Cooking? I'll start: You don't need to boil your store-bought gnocchi to have a fantastic gnocchi dinner. I'll admit, the first time I made Ali Slagle's crisp gnocchi with brussels sprouts — one of our 50 best recipes, according to our readers — I was skeptical. I just … open the package and dump the gnocchi straight into a hot pan? Won't that give me rock-hard, dust-dry nuggets of potato sadness? Just the opposite. I learned that when you toast gnocchi in an olive-oil-slicked skillet, the outsides become golden with a touch of crust while the insides plump up and keep their pillowy chew. (This trick works in the oven, too.) Now, I always prepare my gnocchi this way, seeking out dishes like Hetty Lui McKinnon's crispy gnocchi with spinach and feta. Her new recipe reads like a checklist of everything I crave after a long day: silky, good-for-me greens, salty cheese, handfuls of fresh herbs and, of course, carbs. Oh, and it's all made in one pan — another point for crispy gnocchi. Featured Recipe Crispy Gnocchi With Spinach and Feta View Recipe → Something else I've learned: I may not love raisins in my cookies, but I really love them in savory dishes. They add tiny pops of sweetness and tang to Melissa Clark's hearty and colorful roasted cauliflower and arugula salad, as well as this gorgeous tfaya baked chicken from Nargisse Benkabbou. Tfaya, as Nargisse notes, is a sweet and savory Moroccan sauce made of caramelized onions, raisins and spices that forms under your chicken (read: soaks up all of those chicken juices) as everything roasts in the oven. I've also realized that a long-cooked vegetable can be a delicious vegetable, and have loosened the grip that crisp-tender veggies had on my cooking. Case in point: David Tanis's baked fish with slow-cooked peppers, in which bell peppers (or Italian "frying" peppers, or another not-too-spicy variety) collapse into a tangle of garlicky ribbons to serve with lemony white fish fillets. Tofu and tomatoes are good friends — something I've learned with Hana Asbrink's cold tofu salad with tomatoes and peaches and Ali's chile-crisp tofu with tomatoes and cucumbers. For brisker days, there's Hetty's new tomato and ginger braised tofu, which calls for, as Hetty puts it, "a brave amount of ginger." Challenge accepted! Lastly, I've learned that muffins make a nice dessert, seeing as they are essentially individual little cakes. (This is less a cooking lesson and more a personal belief.) Melissa Knific's blueberry corn muffins would be a wonderful grab-and-go breakfast, for sure, but look at those tender-crumbed, berry-studded beauties and tell me you don't want to serve them fresh from the oven with vanilla ice cream. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Tfaya Baked Chicken By Nargisse Benkabbou 1 hour Makes 4 servings Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Roasted Cauliflower and Arugula Salad By Melissa Clark 55 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Baked Fish With Slow-Cooked Peppers By David Tanis 50 minutes Makes 4 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Tomato and Ginger Braised Tofu By Hetty McKinnon 50 minutes Makes 4 servings Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Blueberry Corn Muffins By Melissa Knific 55 minutes Makes 12 muffins Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018