The highly anticipated cookbook from the Michelin-starred restaurant, written by acclaimed chef Nick Curtola, James Murphy, James Beard Award–winning wine director Justin Chearno, and co-author Gabe Ulla.

Much like the irresistibly warm restaurant that inspires it, The Four Horsemen: Food and Wine for Good Times is about more than just amazing food.

The story begins in 2014, when four friends with practically zero restaurant experience between them naively decided to open a restaurant in New York City. They called the place The Four Horsemen, and they hired a largely unknown chef, Nick Curtola, to lead its tiny kitchen.

Even though they did almost everything wrong at the start, The Four Horsemen now has a Michelin star, a waiting list for tables seven nights a week, and a James Beard Award for the best wine program in the United States—not to mention a global reputation as a must-visit destination in New York City. Of Curtola’s food, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote, in a glowing review, “The effortlessly casual plates are not, in fact, effortless or casual, a realization that only dawns on you as you’re wondering why this sausage or that pickle is the best thing you’ve tasted in ages.”

In the acclaimed restaurant’s debut cookbook, Curtola explains his approach to simplicity with warmth, clarity, and more than 100 recipes. The book begins with a humorous and moving introduction by co-founder James Murphy, which sets the stage for Curtola’s writing and recipes, casual and informative essays by natural wine pioneer Justin Chearno, and appearances by Murphy and Chearno’s fellow horsemen Christina Topsøe and Randy Moon.

Throughout, readers will also find suggestions related to a subject on which the four unwitting friends were experts long before they built the restaurant: how to have fun.

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Potato Gnocchi with Fontina, Chives, and Crispy Shallots

SERVES 4

I got really into potato gnocchi while cooking in Piedmont, Italy, some years ago. The food in the north can be much richer than it is in other parts of the country, especially when you start getting close to the Alps: the wild boar ragù, bowls of polenta with loads of Gorgonzola cheese, meat-stuffed pastas swimming in buttery sauces. It was an eye-opening experience. In particular, I fell in love with fonduta, a sauce featuring Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese. 

Roasting the potatoes in their skins and drying out the cooked flesh as quickly as possible is crucial to the gnocchi’s fluffy texture: Introducing water and steam means adding more flour later, which eventually means gummier gnocchi. Also, for this recipe, avoid the ridges sometimes found on gnocchi; this sauce doesn’t require them, which makes shaping them a breeze. The crispy shallots are readily available at most Asian markets.

This recipe will make more gnocchi than you need for the dish, but they store really well in the freezer and are great for last-minute dinners.

FOR THE GNOCCHI:

5 pounds (2.3 kg) russet potatoes, rinsed

2 cups (115 g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3⅔ cups (440 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

FOR THE FONDUTA:

2 cups (480 ml) heavy whipping cream

5 ounces (142 g) Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese, grated coarsely

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Kosher salt

TO FINISH:

3 tablespoons kosher salt

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (14 g) thinly sliced fresh chives

¼ cup (40 g) crispy shallots (see headnote)

Freshly ground black pepper

MAKE THE GNOCCHI: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Lay the potatoes out on a sheet tray and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes.

Use a paring knife to peel the potatoes (place a tea towel in your hand to hold the potatoes for this step, as they’ll still be hot). Pass the peeled potatoes through a ricer or food mill onto a clean countertop, then spread them out on the countertop and fan them for a minute or so with a bench scraper or similar tool.

Add the Parm, eggs, salt, and 1 cup (120 g) of the flour to the potato pile and use the bench scraper to chop and fold them into the potato. When most of the flour has been absorbed, add another 1 cup (120 g) of the flour and continue to chop and fold the flour into the potato. Add the remaining flour and start to really gather the dough into a mound. Knead it for a minute with your hands just enough to form a smooth and springy ball. Don’t overwork it. Cover with a tea towel.

Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface. Cut off a portion of the dough (about one-eighth), keeping the rest covered so it doesn’t dry out. Roll the piece of dough into an even snake shape roughly ½ inch (12 mm) in diameter. Cut the snake crosswise into 1½-inch-long (4 cm) pieces, then scoop them up with a bench scraper and lay them out in an even layer on the parchment-lined sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining dough, then place the tray of gnocchi in the freezer. Once they have frozen, transfer them to an airtight container and return them to the freezer. (The gnocchi can be stored this way for up to a month. They should be cooked straight from the freezer.)

MAKE THE FONDUTA : In a pot, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add the fontina and whisk until it melts. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to form a slurry. Whisk this slurry into the cheese sauce and bring to a bare boil, stirring continuously, then immediately turn off the heat. (Cornstarch is at its full thickening potential when the liquid it’s in comes to a boil.)

Transfer the sauce to a blender and buzz on high speed until very smooth. Make sure when blending hot liquids that you always start on the lowest setting and work your way up to the higher settings slowly. Season with a pinch of salt, then strain into a pot large enough to hold the gnocchi. (Alternatively, pack the sauce into a container and let cool, then cover and store in the fridge. It will keep for about a week.)

TO FINISH: Fill a large pot with 4 quarts (4 L) water and add the salt. Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, warm the fonduta gently in a large, shallow pot over low heat.

Pull about half (1 pound 5 ounces / 600 g) of the gnocchi from the freezer (keep the rest frozen for another use). Drop the frozen gnocchi into the boiling water and adjust the heat to cook at a simmer for 2½ minutes. Remove them with a spider, reserving the cooking water, and transfer them to the warm fonduta. Swirl gently to coat the gnocchi, then cook them in the sauce for about 3 minutes. Add a splash of the gnocchi cooking water if they look too dry. You want the sauce to be nice and loose.

Carefully spoon the gnocchi and some sauce into each of four bowls. Sprinkle with the chives and crispy shallots and finish with lots of black pepper.

Recipe published with permission from Abrams Books.