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Homemade Potato Gnocchi

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Making these melt-in-your-mouth potato pillows takes time but you will be rewarded with amazingly delicious comfort meal (try also our sweet potato gnocchi). Just follow some simple rules and you will get perfect light gnocchi, you can serve to anyone.

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How to make homemade potato gnocchi

For potato gnocchi you will need POTATOES, PLAIN FLOUR (we have also the recipe for spelt flour gnocchi), EGG YOLK and pinch of SALT. Once you have cooked potatoes making gnocchi is a simple. Just follow the steps we described below. 

COOKING THE POTATOES: When making gnocchi the most important thing is to choose the right potatoes. Use OLD STARCHY POTATOES with high content of starch and low content of water. Use potatoes of the similar size so they cook evenly.

The best gnocchi comes from the potatoes cooked in their skin. Just place whole unpeeled potatoes into a medium pot of cold water and cook until you can easily insert a fork into them. Take potatoes from the water and let cool for 3-4 minutes, or until you can handle them. 



MAKING THE GNOCCHI DOUGH: Peel of the skin from potatoes using a small knife and pass them through potato ricer (if you don't have one on hand, you can use potato masher).

Place potatoes on floured work surface and sprinkle 2/3 of the flour over the potatoes then add egg yolk. Gently knead the dough. The trick to light gnocchi is to not to add too much flour to the dough. Add just enough flour to hold the dough together.

The final dough should be soft, smooth and slightly sticky.

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How to shape the gnocchi

Once you have the dough ready, it's time for shaping little gnocchi. For this you will need the dough scrapper and gnocchi board.

  1. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and start to work one by one. Roll the dough onto floured work surface into 2cm thick log. Using a dough scraper cut the log into 2cm gnocchi (you can do this also with a knife). 

  2. Dust slightly gnocchi board and roll each piece over the board to get ridges. This is not just for looks as they'll also help the sauce cling to the gnocchi. Place gnocchi on a dusted baking sheet or a large plate. Leave them on the air to dry for 15-20 minutes, then cook them immediately or freeze for later use.


From 650g potatoes you will get around 500g fresh gnocchi (enough for 4 persons).

HOW TO COOK HOMEMADE GNOCCHI? Add gnocchi into a large pot of boiling water and allow them to float before scooping out with a slotted spoon. This shouldn't take more than 1-2 minutes.

Serving potato gnocchi

If looking for a pure simplicity, just melt some butter on a frying pan, add dried herbs and toss freshly cooked gnocchi into this. Your quick and delicious meal is ready!

Serve gnocchi with your favourite sauce: tomato, pesto genovese, bolognese, alfredo etc. Coat them into your favourite sauce, sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven. Or pair them with Italian sausages like in our recipe for sausage and lemon gnocchi.

Storing homemade potato gnocchi

You can serve freshly made gnocchi right away or within a couple of hours, or you can freeze them for later use. Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet and freeze until they are hard to touch, at least one hour.



Transfer them to zip-top bag and freeze for up to two months. When you're ready to use them, DON'T DEFROST the gnocchi or they'll lose their shape as they cook. Instead, throw the frozen gnocchi straight into the boiling water.

Frozen gnocchi cause the temperature of the cooking water to drop. Don't refrigerate fresh gnocchi for more than two or three hours, as they will become soggy.

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi

SERVES: 4 servings
COOKS IN: 1 hour 10 minutes
LEVEL: Moderate

Handy equipment:

Medium Pot | Potato Masher | Dough Scraper | Gnocchi Board

INGREDIENTS

  • 700g starchy potatoes (1.5 pounds), 7-8 medium potatoes
  • 90g plain flour (3/4 cup)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 egg yolk


METHOD

  1. Place unpeeled potatoes into a medium pot of cool water. Bring the water to the boil and cook for 30-35 minutes, or until a fork can be inserted into the potato. Drain them, and set aside to cool enough to handle but still warm.

  2. Remove the skin from the potatoes, using a peeler or a small knife. Pass the potatoes through potato ricer or mash with potato masher. 

  3. Tip the potatoes onto a clean work surface and sprinkle over the flour. Season with salt. Make a well in the centre, add egg yolk and very quickly knead together until the dough just forms, then shape into a ball.

  4. Divide the dough in 4 and roll each portion on floured work surface into a sausage about 1.5 cm thick. Cut into 2cm pieces. Slightly flour each piece and roll over the gnocchi board or the back of the fork to get ridges on the surface. Place gnocchi on floured plate or tray and leave on the air for about 10-15 minutes.

  5. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add gnocchi in bathes, stirring gently to ensure they don't stick. Cook until they rise to the surface (1-2 minutes), remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.

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CATEGORIES: Pasta & Gnocchi, Italian Inspired,
Potatoes






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