Frying Gnocchi

• You can make fried gnocchi from fresh homemade dumplings or prepackaged ones from the grocery store. Start by boiling the gnocchi according to the package or recipe. Set them aside once they are done. Heat your desired frying oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the gnocchi in the pan and let them fry for a few seconds. Use tongs to toss them and stir to keep the gnocchi from sticking to the pan, and to ensure that all sides are browned. Remove from the oil when golden brown. Let them drain, and then serve.

Serving Suggestions

• Sauces for fried gnocchi can be drizzled onto the fried dumplings or used as a dipping sauce. Try marinara, Alfredo or roasted red pepper sauce for the fried gnocchi. Try frying cheese gnocchi (boil them first) and toss them in a tomato-based sauce and spinach. You can also use them in place of croutons on a Caesar salad. The possibilities are limitless -- you can replace any crispy, dumpling-like component of a dish with fried gnocchi.

Something to Consider

• Water and oil do not mix easily. In fact, water added to hot oil causes the oil to shoot out of the pot in stinging droplets. So, after boiling the gnocchi, be sure to pat them dry to remove the excess water. For this reason, frozen gnocchi must be thoroughly thawed before frying. You can dust the boiled gnocchi with flour to help them brown more evenly while frying as well. While frying, use small batches of gnocchi to ensure that they fry properly. Too many gnocchi in the pan lowers the temperature of the oil, so that you're essentially boiling them a second time -- this time in oil -- instead of frying them to a golden brown.

Alternatives

• Potato gnocchi is not the only variety that you can fry. Sweet potato, polenta, pumpkin and ricotta cheese gnocchi also fry very well. Experiment with different dipping sauces for these different types of gnocchi. Try some sweet dipping sauces for the pumpkin and sweet potato gnocchi, for example.