Gnocchi And Tiny Meatballs With Creamy Parsley Pesto

• Gnocchi & Tiny Meatballs
• 2 pounds starchy potatoes, such as Russets
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1.5 cups flour
• salt
• pepper
• 1 pound italian sausage
• Creamy Parsley Pesto
• 1 bunch parsley, or 1 bunch parsley stems plus a few leaves for color
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast if you don't have parm on hand
• 1/3 cup nuts on hand; walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, or even sunflower seeds.
• salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste
• 2 tablespoons cream

1. For the gnocchi:rnPreheat the oven to 400 degrees. rnBake the potatoes until they are tender, about 1 hour.rnWhen they are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes.
2. Pass the potatoes through a ricer or a food mill, or if you don't have those, press them through a fine mesh sieve. Spread out the potatoes as they are pressed, and allow them to cool in a single layer.
3. Sprinkle the potatoes wtth salt and with 1/2 cup of flour, and gently toss with your hands or a pastry scraper. rnPour beaten eggs over the top, and cover with the rest of the flour. Toss and fold until well combined. rnAdd flour until the dough is not sticky.
4. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Let rest 5-10 minutes. rnCut the dough into long strips about 1/2 inch wide, and sprinkle them with flour so they don't stick together. rnCut each rope into 3/4 inch pieces, sprinkling again with flour.
5. If you have a gnocchi paddle, roll each gnocchi out on it. If you like, you can roll the gnocchi on a cutting board by pressing your thumb into each piece and quickly rolling it into a tube shape. Otherwise, leave them as is.
6. While the gnocchi is resting, make the meatballs:rnRoll the sausage into tiny balls, about the diameter of a penny. I like to make them just a bit smalled than the gnocchi for the final dish, so that they don't overwhelm. Just remember that the gnocchi will swell to about twice its size when cooked. rnBrown in hot skillet until cooked through.
7. For the Parsley Pesto:rnRoughly chop parsley stems and/or leaves. Blend in food processor, adding olive oil in a stream. rnAss sunflower seeds, parmesan, and garlic. Blend until very smooth adding cream by the tablespoon until it is saucy. Season to taste. Wait until the last minute to add lemon juice, so the bright breen color does not fade.
8. Simmer the gnocchi in salted water until every piece floats. Strain, mix with tiny meatballs, and toss with Creamy Parsley Pesto.

meatballs, starchy potatoes, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, italian sausage, parsley pesto, parsley, olive oil, clove garlic, parmesan cheese, nuts, salt, cream

Taken from food52.com/recipes/21076-gnocchi-and-tiny-meatballs-with-creamy-parsley-pesto (may not work)