Potato Gnocchi

Pillowy potato gnocchi pan-seared in butter and garlic sauce, maybe even tossed with some wilted spinach, may be one of the simplest yet most satisfying dinners. Yes, it takes a little work to prep these Italian dumplings, but the rewards are great enough to attempt this dish on your own. Homemade gnocchi are nothing like their store-bought counterparts, which often have very little potato flavor. Once you get the hang of it, I think you’ll be craving these on the regular.

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes
2 egg yolks
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup flour (plus more for shaping the dough and dusting the counter)

Even if you’re hesitant about trying to make gnocchi at home, this short list of ingredients should make the process seem less daunting. Don’t let the length of these directions scare you either. You can do this! I’ve simply included lots of tips along the way to answer common questions that arise during the process. Quite simply, making gnocchi is a matter of combining flour, egg (either whole or yolks), some salt, and potato shreds into a dough – then rolling and cutting the dough.

Start off by baking the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until they are fork tender. While protecting your hands, slice the cooked potatoes in half to allow steam to escape.

As soon as the potatoes are soft enough to handle, peel the potatoes and discard the skin. Next grate the potato onto a flour-dusted work area, spreading it out so that even more steam escapes. If you have a ricer, you can rice the potatoes instead. Just don’t mash them. You want a loose, spread-out pile of fluffy potato shreds. Sprinkle the salt on top.

While the potatoes are still warm, but not steaming or hot, pour the egg yolks on top and sift ½ cup of the flour on top of that. Use your hands, a pastry scraper, or even the side of a thin, flexible cutting board to work the edges of the pile into the center. Fold and pat from each side until the dough starts to come together but remains shaggy. Rub your hands together to release any dough that is sticking to them.

Avoid kneading, but rather, continue to fold and pat the dough, dusting the additional ¼ cup flour in increments as necessary as you fold. As soon as it becomes a cohesive yet slightly shaggy, tacky dough, stop adding flour, as overworking the dough or adding excessive flour results in tough gnocchi.

At this point, it’s a good idea to wash your hands so that you can cleanly roll the dough. Also clean any excess dough from the work area so that you can dust it with flour anew for rolling. Grab a piece of dough no larger than the size of a lemon, and roll it into a rope of between ¾ and ½ inch in diameter, depending on your preferred size.

Cut the rope of dough into pieces about ¾ inch wide. Gnocchi can be left like this, but I like the texture that comes from rolling them down the tines of a fork. For ridged gnocchi, dust the tines of a fork in flour and use one hand to hold the fork while the other gently presses and rolls each piece gently into the grooves. Your finger should make an indentation in the pillow of dough, as you roll it into a curved shape. One side will have the grooves, the other will be concave.

As you roll the dough into ropes, cut, and groove, place the gnocchi on a flour-dusted baking sheet or section of counter.

Once they are all complete, the gnocchi are ready to be cooked. Since you will be doing this in batches, I like to lay the cooked ones on a baking rack over a baking sheet. This allows any excess water to drain from the gnocchi while they wait for the others.

In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook a small batch of the gnocchi. Within two minutes, they will float at the top of the pot, telling you they are done. Scoop them out with a strainer or skimmer and lay them on the baking rack while you cook the rest. Tent with foil to keep warm.

For pan-seared gnocchi, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet when the all the gnocchi are almost cooked. Sear over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, turning at least once. Add garlic if you like. Top with grated cheese. Potato gnocchi are delicious with butter and herbs, wilted spinach or even a heartier tomato sauce. Once you master the process, the possibilities are endless.