Potato Gnocchi With Keith

With Keith Pooler

Keith Pooler of Bergamot Restaurant in Somerville, MA prepares this gnocchi as either a stand-alone gnocchi dish to be served with your favorite sauce or as part of his more elaborate recipe for Oxtail with Ragout. Below you will find his recipe for the gnocchi and then the oxtail recipe.

Ingredients

Potato Gnocchi
1 pound potato
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 cup pasta flour (or semolina) plus
¼ cup chopped parsley (fine)
¼ teaspoon salt

For the Ragout:
5 pounds oxtail (or substitute same amount of beef short-ribs)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Spanish onions, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 carrot, cut in large chunks
2 stalks of center celery, cut in large chunks
¼ pound button mushroom, thickly sliced
½ pint roasted cherry tomatoes
5 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 bunch thyme
1 quart veal stock

Other ingredients for the Oxtail Ragout:
3/4 of a butternut squash
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 pound button mushrooms
1 shallot, minced
1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped
Truffle butter (if available) or herbed butter for the finish
Shaved Parmigiana cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Co-Owner and Executive Chef, Bergamot

A native of Gloucester, Chef Keith Pooler has always had a great appreciation for the bounty of both the land and the sea - it shows on the menu at his Somerville restaurant, Bergamot. Since Gloucester is one the country's oldest fishing ports, there was no shortage of seafood either. Graduating top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America, he worked with Chef Daniel Bruce while working at The Boston Harbor Hotel. He sharpened his eye and technique under the expert guidance of Rick Laakonen during his time at The River Café in New York and then went on to Lespinasse to work under Chef Gray Kunz. In 2002, Pooler returned to Boston, taking on the role of Executive Sous Chef at Harvest. In 2010, Pooler opened Bergamot in Somerville, where he serves an ingredient-driven, progressive American menu in a warm neighborhood setting.