Ingredients
Scale
- About 4 medium potatoes *Important to weigh potatoes AFTER baking and shredding to get 450 gr or 1 pound. You may have a little shredded potato leftover after since potatoes vary so much in size/weight (recommended potato variety Yukon Gold or Russet)
- 1 egg
- 120 gr (about 1 cup) “00” flour or all-purpose flour (you may need less)
- 2 tablespoons of parmigiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Baking the Potatoes
- Start by poking the potatoes all over using a fork. Place them in a preheated 400°F oven for about an hour. After this, the skins should be crisp and the interior should easily pierce with a knife. This process dries out the potato, so you have to use less flour!
- Remove the skin with a clean cloth. This will allow more steam to escape. Less steam means less moisture, and less moisture means lighter, fluffier gnocchi.
Making the Gnocchi
- Pass the potatoes through the fine holes of a cheese grater (or a potato ricer). Once the potatoes are grated down to fluffy little bits- they will look like cauliflower rice.
- Weigh potatoes on a scale to get 450 grams or 1 pound. It is important to weigh your potatoes since they vary so much in size/weight.
- Sift (1/4 cup) at a time of all-purpose flour and salt across the potatoes. Gently toss with a fork to incorporate. Add more flour little by little. You may not need all the flour if the potatoes are drier, or you may need to add a little more if they retained more water. Before adding the egg the dough will be crumbly.
- Add one beaten egg and the parmigiano cheese- spread evenly across the potato and flour mixture (1 beaten egg for every 450 grams of potato).
- Bring the potatoes, flour, and egg into a ball of dough by using a bench scraper (or the desired tool- a fork works just as well). Mix gently to make sure the egg and flour are evenly distributed. Start using your hands to press it into one cohesive mass.
- Once the mass has formed, start kneading for about 90 seconds. A phrase to remember is “no need to over knead, if you are gentle they will be tender. You still need to knead until it is a solid mass, but just don’t go crazy. Once the dough is smooth and no egg or flour streaks remain cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Shaping the Gnocchi
- Divide the dough ball into 8-10 sections. Sift some all-purpose flour onto a work surface and roll each piece of dough into a 1” thick rope. Press down any uneven spots until it is an even rope.
- Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut into little 1-inch dumplings or into the desired size.
- For a classic gnocchi shape, press down against the tines of a fork using your thumb down and across the fork, or use a gnocchi board.
- Once all of the dough has been cut and shaped into the desired gnocchi shape, place it onto a rimmed baking sheet and cover it with a light dusting of all-purpose flour.
- For non-immediate cooking, place in a freezer to solidify for 1 hour, then scrape off and place in a bag and back into the freezer. They freeze great! For immediate use, cook with one of the suggested sauces.
Cooking Instructions:
- Cooking is just like fresh pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it well, then scoot in your frozen or fresh gnocchi. Occasionally give them a gentle stir, but otherwise, let them boil. Once they float to the surface of the water, you know they’re ready. Use a slotted spoon and lift them out of the water and onto a serving dish then top with your favorite sauce!
- I recommend cooking 5 tester gnocchi before baking the whole batch. These are your testers to make sure the consistency is right.
- RESCUE METHOD: If for some reason they melt into the water you can gather the dough into a ball again and incorporate more flour to firm them.
Notes
Gnocchi are so worth getting right! If you fail the first time- Try again! You will start to get a feel for the consistency.
Recommended Sauces:
- Classic Pesto Genovese
- Brown butter Sage (from the Butternut Squash Risotto recipe)
- Sugo al Pomodoro
- Polpette di Nonna Laura
- BEST Italian Beef Short Rib Ragu
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian