Potato Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragu

Babbo’s pillowy potato gnocchi napped with a luscious slow-braised oxtail ragu.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds oxtails, cut into sections

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 cups dry red wine

One 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

• 2 cups beef or chicken stock
• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Directions

1. Season the oxtails and brown them in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; set aside. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery until soft, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the red wine and reduce by half, then return the oxtails with the tomatoes and stock. Cover and braise until the meat falls off the bone, about 3 hours.
3. Pull the meat from the bones, return it to the sauce, and reduce to a thick ragu; season.
4. Meanwhile, bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and pass through a ricer onto a board. Let cool slightly.
5. Make a well, add the egg and flour, and gently knead into a soft dough. Roll into ropes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, and roll each over a fork to ridge.
6. Cook the gnocchi in batches in boiling salted water until they float, about 90 seconds. Toss with the warm oxtail ragu and finish with Parmigiano.

Notes

Modeled on Mario Batali’s beloved Babbo gnocchi with oxtail ragu.