When I think of Americana, I just randomly think of that scene in Parks and Rec where the Gergich family is singing about eggs, bacon, and toast. So I figured, why not take that inspiration, and making a gnocchi dish? Originally, when I was conceptualizing this dish, it was going to be a pasta dish of some kind, but featuring eggs, bacon, and toast as a garnish to perk it up. I was leaning towards pierogis at first, since I had a decent amount of russet potatoes that needed to be used up, and also because pierogis are easier to make. But then I realized that I did not have the sour cream or the cheese I would have wanted to use in a pierogi filling, so I had to stick with the other potato pasta I knew, or gnocchi. Gnocchi(pronounced “nyow-kee”) is an Italian dumpling, usually made from potato, and they are soft and pillowy. They can be extremely fickle to make(without a scale), since it requires fairly specific measurements of potato, flour, and egg for it to work; too much or little of one ingredient, and the gnocchi might be gummy, might fall apart when you try to boil them, or might be hard as a rock. I will be honest, I took very specific measurements for my gnocchi dough, but my apologies if you attempt this recipe and it flops for you. That being said, my gnocchi came out soft and tender, perfect for the other things I served them with.

Since these are eggs, bacon, and toast gnocchi, I had to use those three ingredients throughout. The egg, besides being used in the gnocchi dough, are also served on top as a poached egg to add another source of richness and breakfast-iness. The bacon is used to make a nice bacon fat-brown butter sauce and as a crunchy garnish. The toast component is represented in the everything bagel breadcrumbs I used as the other textural element, just to add pops of flavor to play off the bacon and the edamame. In retrospect, if I wasn’t so focused on using the potato, I probably would have attempted an egg yolk gnocchi instead to really drill in on the egg piece, but considering that this recipe was originally going to be pierogis, I am pleasantly surprised with what we wound up with! This was a pleasant little brunch dish, perfect for capturing both the joys of eating a pasta dish, and eating all of the best bits of an all-American breakfast!

Makes 2 servings:
For the potato gnocchi:
250g russet potato, peeled and diced
50g all-purpose flour
10g egg
a pinch of salt
a pinch of white pepper

Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and allow them to sit at room temperature for 1-2 minutes before pushing them through a ricer. Mix into the potatoes the flour, egg, salt, and pepper until a dough is formed. Roll out the dough into 1/4-inch wide logs and cut them into 1/4-inch squares. When ready to finish them, blanch the gnocchi in salted boiling water for another 2 minutes before transferring to the bacon-brown butter.

For the bacon-brown butter:
4 strips of bacon, diced
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup edamame

In a pan, start by rendering out the bacon until crispy. Reserve the bacon and 2oz of the fat for the breadcrumbs. With the remaining bacon fat, start by browning the butter in that, and to that, add in the garlic, stirring until nutty, and keep the butter sauce on low heat. In another pot, blanch the edamame for 30 seconds, then shock them in cold water. Add to the sauce your boiled gnocchi first, then the edamame, tossing everything together right before serving.

For the everything bagel breadcrumbs:
2oz rendered bacon fat
1 tbsp everything bagel seasoning
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
a pinch of salt
crispy bacon

Toast off all of your ingredients, minus the crispy bacon, in a pan on medium heat until the breadcrumbs are golden-brown. Toss the crispy bacon in the crumbs to finish.

For the poached eggs:
2 eggs
1 tbsp white vinegar
a pinch of salt

Bring a pot full of water to a boil with vinegar and salt. Gently crack two eggs into the water and allow them to simmer in the water on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.