Spinach-Sausage Saute with Pan-Fried Gnocchi

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Starting the skillet with a good spicy sausage gives a blast of flavor to the handful of spinach you'll toss in to melt together with a bit of chipotle in adobo and then, voila - dinner is on the table. Take an extra few minutes to pair it with a side of pan fried gnocchi and you have a great last-minute dinner that doesn't feel last-minute at all.

Start by assembling ingredients. As with any quick fix meal you'll want everything out of the package and at hand, ready to hit the skillet. Pre-washed spinach unbagged, chipotles rough chopped, sausage into 1" dice.

I've used a lean turkey kielbasa link sausage here because it is what I had on hand, but pancetta would be excellent and chorizo would really spice it up!    Look for the freshest and softest gnocchi because we're not boiling it first. That's right! I haven't lost my mind. I lifted this idea straight from Nigella the Queen of Bites. I found this little pearl of an idea on her iPad app called Nigella Quick Collection. Great collection of recipes taken from half a dozen of her cook books and loaded with in-app videos.
While I was making a brief advertisement for Nigella the sausage took off cooking without me. I am not Nigella's agent but I would like to meet her whenever she's ready, ahemmm.

When the pan is good and crispy on the bottom and the sausage browned, drop in a few handfulls of spinach and a tablespoon or two of chopped chipotles, depending on how hot you like it, baby.
Let it all melt down together which will only take a few minutes.

Don't empty that skillet yet! First let's grab up all that flavor on the bottom with a quick splash of water. Even 1/4 cup will do it as long as the pan is good and hot. It should sizzle immediately and dissolve all that flavor into a wonderful savory glaze as you scrape the skillet and keep everything moving.
Now transfer all to a serving platter and give the skillet a quick wipe out with a dry paper towel.

There should still be a fine layer of browned fond left behind which will help the gnocchi to brown well. Film the skillet with a layer of mild olive oil and raise the heat to medium high.

Toss the gnocchi to coat with the oil and spread them out in a single layer with enough space to allow them to brown. Watch the heat and reduce if necessary. Flip the ghnocci when they have browned well and repeat on the other side. Serve immediately with the Spinach and Sausage for little out-of-the-ordinary meat and potatoes meal!



THE SHOPPING LIST
Bag of Prewashed Spinach
One Pkg Fresh Gnocchi
One Pound Link Sausage (Kielbasa, Pancetta,   Chorizo)
Small Can Chipotle in Adobo

Summer has given way to Fall Fest at the Food Network website where you'll find my foodie blogs along with other great food lovin' bloggers, offering up our best ideas all the way through the holidays! Each week we'll be blogging together with the FN Dish to produce fabulous ways to enjoy your produce!  This week, it's Spinach, next week come on back for tasty ways with Turnips. Check out these other delicious ideas: 

Jeanette's Healthy Living: Skinny Hot Spinach Dip
Feed Me Phoebe: October Evening Lentil Soup With Spinach
And Love It Too: Grain-Free Spinach Pie
Cooking With Elise: Baby Spinach Salad With Cranberries, Spiced Pecans and a Maple Vinaigrette
Virtually Homemade: Three Onion Dip With Spinach
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Spinach
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Whole-Wheat Pasta With Spicy Spinach and Peanut Butter Pesto
Thursday Night Dinner: Spinach Ice Cream
Cooking Channel: Fresh Spinach in Indian Recipes
Delicious Lean: Spinach Leaf Roll Ups
Bacon and Souffle: Baby Spinach Pizza With Sopressata and Sriracha
FN Dish: Stuff It With Spinach
 

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