Ribeye Roast and Gnocchi in Brown Gravy

Ribeye Roast

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally rub the roast with salt and pepper, and garlic powder. The amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder you use will depend on the size of the roast you’ve selected, and your own personal tastes. However, don’t be shy, it’s really hard to over season a roast. For reference the roast pictured above was seasoned with 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and two teaspoons of garlic powder. 
2. Place the seasoned roast on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. If you don’t have a roasting rack, the roast can be elevated using rolled up pieces of tin foil. Just make sure the roast is lifted off the bottom of the pan. 
3. Cook the roast at 350* until the desired temperature is reached (please see the chart below). I recommended that a ribeye roast be served either medium rare or medium to allow for the maximum browning on the outside while still maintaining the tenderness of the roast. Remove the roast from the oven and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. The roast can be loosely covered with tin foil to prevent it from over cooling while it rests. Reserve any drippings from the pan for the gravy. 

Gravy

1. Take the reserved drippings from the roasting pan and skim off any fat from the top. Add the drippings to a measuring cup. Add beef broth as needed to make 2 cups. Add the drippings/broth to a small saucepan.
2. Whisk together the two tablespoons of flour and the 1/4 cup of water. Make sure all the flour has dissolved into the water. Add an additional small splash of water if needed to ensure all the flour is dissolved. 
3. Add the flour/water mixture, the garlic powder, and onion powder to the sauce pan with the drippings/broth and whisk together. Bring the pot to a gentle boil stirring occasionally. When a gentle boil has been reached reduce heat to a simmer. Allow the gravy to simmer until thickened. 

1. Set a large pot of water to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, wash the potatoes. Boil the potatoes with their skins on until very tender. When the potatoes are tender drain off the water, and allow the potatoes to cool enough that you can touch them well enough to work with. However, try to leave them as hot as possible, they will puree easier if still hot/warm.
2. Peel the skins from the potatoes using hands/paring knife. Then puree the peeled potato until smooth using a food processor, food mill, or immersion blender.
3. Transfer the puree to a large bowl and add the flour. Mix until smooth. The mixture should be soft and smooth but slightly sticky. If overly sticky add additional flour, a few tablespoons at a time until the correct consistency of the dough is reached. Add no more flour the absolutely necessary.
4. Prepare two large baking sheets, by lining with a sheet of parchment paper. Set the baking sheets aside with in easy access of your work surface. Lightly flour your work surface. Divide the dough into four parts and roll each part into a “snake” about 3/4 inches thick. Very lightly flour the tops of the snakes. Use a very sharp knife to cut the snakes not 1/2 inch pieces. This will create little rectangular pillow shapes.
5. Use a dinner fork to create the lines on the gnocchi. Hold the fork parallel with the counter top. Use one finger to press each piece of gnocchi into the rounded side of the fork, creating thin lines. The back side of the gnocchi will have a small depression from your finger. Place the gnocchi lines facing up, on the prepared baking sheet without touching.
6. After this the gnocchi should be cooked immediately or can be frozen so they can be cooked at a later time. Frozen gnocchi can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Do not defrost gnocchi before cooking.

To cook the gnocchi to accompany the ribeye roast:

1. Prepare a shallow serving platter with a few ladles of the brown gravy from the roast. Set near your cooking area. Heat a large pot of water (about 4 quarts) to boiling.
2. When boiling add ONE gnocchi to the pot to test cooking time. The gnocchi will float to the top when cooked. Remove and taste the first gnocchi. If it is on the floury side add an additional add 2-3 seconds to the cook time for the next batch. (Add the time to after the gnocchi begin to float to the top.)
3. Make sure the water has returned to boiling, then add the first batch of gnocchi (about 15-20 pieces at a time). Cook until the gnocchi float to the top, add the additional 2-3 seconds cook time if necessary. Use a slotted spoon to pull the gnocchi from the pot and shake off any excess water. Place the gnocchi on the prepared platter in the gravy.
4. When cooking is complete cover gnocchi with more gravy, turning the gnocchi to coat. Add the roast to the platter and serve immediately.