Instant Mashed Potato Gnocchi Al Forno

I was inspired to make this from watching the current season of Top Chef.  The world all-star chef won the day with instant mashed tater gnocchi.  I found a recipe here.  I tried once to make Ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano Gnocchi that did not work at all.  It turned into a big round blob of cheese while simmering and I haven't tried since...What I used today:

Gnocchi:

• 2 cups (120 grams) plain instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus salt for cooking gnocchi
• 1 ½  cups water
• 1 large egg

Sauce & Cheeses:

• 770 ml jar of "Rao's" Marinara sauce
• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, to taste

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Do not use flavored instant mashed potato flakes. It is important to knead the dough to the texture of Play-Doh, or it will be too tender and difficult to roll into ropes. Be sure to very lightly dust the counter with flour before rolling the dough into ropes to keep them from sticking. Be sure to use a broiler-safe skillet/dish.

FOR GNOCCHI: Whisk potato flakes, flour, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk water and egg together in separate bowl. Add water mixture to potato flake mixture and stir with wooden spoon until fully combined and mixture forms dough ball. Let sit for 3 minutes for potato flakes and flour to hydrate.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead until dough has texture of Play-Doh and springs back halfway when poked with your finger, about 3 minutes. Lightly dust dough with flour and let rest on counter for 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. On very lightly floured counter, roll 1 piece into ¾-inch-thick rope. Lightly dust rope with flour. Using floured bench scraper, cut rope crosswise into ¾-inch pieces; transfer gnocchi to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Press gnocchi with tines of fork to make grooves. Return gnocchi to sheet.  I covered this with a tea towel and let it sit till I was ready to make dinner a couple of hours later.

FOR THE SAUCE:  In oven, heat Rao's marinara in casserole dish.  Bring out when ready to add cooked gnocchi.  Adjust oven rack to 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water. Add half of gnocchi, then stir gently to keep from sticking. Simmer until just cooked through and gnocchi float to top, about 1½ minutes. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to dish with sauce. Return water to boil and repeat with remaining gnocchi.

Toss gnocchi and sauce together in casserole dish with sauce. Dollop ricotta evenly over top. 

Sprinkle mozzarella over ricotta. Broil until cheese is evenly browned, about 3 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

I'm happy to report that the gnocchi turned out well.  The ricotta was really good and made the sauce like a "vodka sauce".  Quite yummy.  The gnocchi pillows were a tad dense and larger than I liked. They were not super light and fluffy but they did float, so not sinkers.  This was a great short cut though I still managed to make a huge mess out of the kitchen with the flour... Way better than the store bought packages of gnocchi, for sure!