Potato Gnocchi
Difficulty Level: Advanced
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Prep Time:1 Hour
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Cook Time:PT1H5M5 Minutes
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Yield:4-6 Servings
Ingredients
- 14 ounces mashed or riced cooked potatoes (or instant, see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 396.89g mashed or riced cooked potatoes (or instant, see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 4.26g salt
- 473.18ml all-purpose flour
The word gnocchi is thought to come from the Italian word nocca, meaning knuckles, or from the Lombard word knohha, which means knot (such as wood knot) or walnut. All words imply the small, tight, rounded shape of gnocchi that we know and love today.
Preparation
STEP 1
Mix the potato with the eggs and salt, then stir in the flour to make a soft dough.
STEP 2
Prepare a clean work surface by sprinkling it sparingly with flour. Knead the dough a few times to smooth it out, then divide it into eight pieces.
STEP 3
Roll each piece of dough into a long rope about the width of your thumb; they'll be about 20" to 24" long. Cut the ropes into ½" to ¾" pieces. Place the pieces on a piece of parchment or waxed paper lightly coated with flour.
STEP 4
The traditional and best way to shape gnocchi is with a ridged gnocchi board*. Place the bottom of the board on a firm surface, tilt it at about a 45° angle, and pick up one piece of dough. Use your thumb to roll it along the board away from you, for about ¾"; it'll curl up over your thumb, forming a little pocket. Once it's curled over your thumb, toss it onto the prepared parchment. Repeat with all the pieces of dough, giving the pan an occasional shake to roll the shaped gnocchi around in the flour.
STEP 5
To cook: Bring a large, wide pot of water to a boil; a deep sauté pan also works well. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the water. Drop as many gnocchi into the boiling water as will fit without crowding. Cook the gnocchi for about 4 minutes; they'll take about 2 minutes to float to the surface of the water and should cook for about 2 minutes once they've surfaced.
STEP 6
Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon or into a colander. If you're not going to serve immediately, toss with a bit of olive oil, cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To reheat, dip in boiling water for about 20 seconds.
Options
• You can make gnocchi using both fresh and instant potatoes.
FRESH: Bake medium-large baking potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each) until tender. Once slightly cooled enough to handle, peel them and put them through a potato ricer.
INSTANT: Mix 1 1/3 cups instant potato flakes mixed with 1 1/3 cups boiling water. This will yield about 2 cups slightly dry mashed potatoes that can be used in place of fresh in the recipe. (In test batches the difference in the gnocchi's flavor between the two was indiscernible.)
• If the gnocchi start to feather and fall apart in boiling water, you need more flour. If the gnocchi don't float after 2 minutes and are hard, you used too much flour.
• Once all the gnocchi are shaped, if not cooking immediately cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest at room temperature for up to several hours. O, wrap them tightly (in a single layer on a sheet pan) and freeze. Once solid place in airtight container to hold for up to several months.
• Gnocchi Board: If you don't have a board, use a fork, turned upside down. The fork won't work quite as well; it's slippery compared to the board, and won't make as many ridges in the gnocchi, but works!