Name: Brown Butter-Miso Gnocchi
Cook time: 6900 s
Total time: 6900 s
Yield: 3-4
Ingredients: russet potatoes; flour; egg; salt; reserved starchy pasta water; white miso paste; butter, divided; heads maitake mushroom (or mushroom of choice); Parmesan cheese; Toasted pistachios for garnish (or walnuts)

Zachary Neman

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Or otherwise known as @cheffinwithzach. I would describe myself as both a nerd and foodie. I graduated college with a bachelor's degree in computer science (Yes, I could have coded the website myself, but I was lazy. My true passion is cooking (eating too, of course), and I decided to pursue all things food instead of entering the tech world.

I began making food content about a 2 years ago–I was instantly in love with the process of brainstorming creative content ideas then turning that into a reality. To me, food content means connecting with others through stories and new ideas about food while inspiring them to cook.

I'm incredibly grateful to have the opportunity and privilege to turn my passion my career. Right now, I'm creating cooking content and I couldn't be any happier.

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Brown butter and miso is a combination that more of us need to know about and use in our cooking. They’re so versatile together–use it to level up any sweet or savory dish. I love using this combination in my pasta sauces–the brown butter is nutty and sweet, while the miso brings body to the sauce along with salt and umami. All it’s missing is some starchy pasta water, parmesan, and cold butter to get the perfect, thick, emulsified sauce. I made gnocchi from scratch for this dish, but it’s not necessary. You can buy the premade kind or even use regular pasta. Mushrooms are definitely a necessity too, I love the earthiness they bring–they fit right into the flavor profile of the sauce. If you’re looking for a new pasta dish to make, THIS IS IT.

Brown Butter-Miso Gnocchi

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Bake potatoes for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes you are using. Set aside and let cool.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a sieve or potato ricer. You can mash them if you have neither tool but it is not preferred since you can have a chunkier product.

Add flour to the potatoes and mix a little bit to get them incorporated but do not knead. Crack an egg into the mix and knead until you have a homogenous, soft dough. Try not to over-knead as this will result in a gnocchi that is dense. We want it to be light and pillowy. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions to make it easier to work with. Roll it out into a cylinder that is about 1 inch thick. Cut into desired size and very lightly press to get an even flat surface on each gnocchi.

Boil the gnocchi in salted water until they begin to float. Remove the gnocchi and set aside, reserve a 1/2 c of the pasta water.

Mix miso into the pasta water until homogenous and there are no miso chunks.

heads maitake mushroom (or mushroom of choice)

Prepare the maitake mushrooms: Cut in half, then divide each half into 4 wedges.

Add 4 tbsp butter to a pan over medium-high heat. Once melted add the mushrooms and the gnocchi. Fry until the butter is browned and the mushrooms and gnocchi are golden brown all over. Add in the miso pasta water, along with grated parm (as much as you want) and 1 tbsp of cold butter. Stir vigorously to get a thick, emulsified sauce.

Toasted pistachios for garnish (or walnuts)

Plate with some toasted pistachio or walnuts and additional grated parm.