HHjr is the head chef in my kitchen,
but on Valentine’s Day, his birthday,
I wanted to cook dinner for him
We waited to have the family celebration
for last weekend when we were all at the beach
I wanted it to be elegant and special
but I also didn’t want to spend all day in the kitchen…
I went to Fresh Market,
they have a nice selection of gourmet type goodies,
and decided on their Chicken Portabella,
chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms,
ready to bake and serve
I had Truffle Gnocchi from Trader Joe’s in the freezer
and decided to make a creamy sauce
that would work with both the gnocchi and the chicken,
and I could do a simple side of roasted asparagus spears
I also picked up Swiss Almond cheese spread {his favorite}
from Fresh Market deli,
and a slice of White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
from Fresh Market’s bakery for the birthday boy
All I had to do was put the chicken in the oven,
cook the gnocchi, make the cream sauce
and roast the asparagus
I amped things up a little with Maple Bourbon bacon 😋
The sauce is easy, all you have to do is cook the bacon,
drain and add the onions to the rendered fat in the pan
Cook until they soften then add garlic and cook another minute
Add chardonnay and let it reduce by half
then reduce heat and add cream and cheese
I went ahead and cooked the gnocchi in the afternoon,
put it in a small baking dish
and poured the sauce over all
and refrigerated it to bake later along side the chicken
You can add some bacon to the sauce if desired
or use it all as a crispy garnish
I cooked the asparagus,
that I tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper,
in the air fryer, 380 degrees for 10 minutes,
and it was perfect
Gnocchi with Bacon Cream
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 large sweet onion
- 1/3 cup chardonnay or other white wine
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 clove garlic minced
- grated Asiago & Parmesan cheese
- 16 oz gnocchi
Instructions
- Fry bacon until crisp. Drain and tear into small pieces
- Chop onion and add it to the rendered bacon fat in skillet and cook over medium heat until softened.
- Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Deglaze the pan with chardonnay and cook until the liquid has reduced by half
- Reduce heat to low and stir in cream.
- Add half of the Parmesan cheese and part of the bacon if desired, reserving the rest for garnishing, and let the sauce gently simmer
- Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Place in a buttered or greased small casserole dish and cover with sauce. Can be covered and refrigerated at this point for baking later if desired.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Garnish with reserved cheese and bacon
Notes
Gnocchi is a wonderful side dish and a way to change up your menu
It is available in the pasta section,
and in the refrigerated pasta section,
and in the frozen section of the grocery store
Enjoy!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Centerpiece Wednesday / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things
Happiness is Homemade/ Friday with Friends / Share the Wealth