Homemade Potato gnocchi

These homemade potato gnocchi are so light and fluffy that they melt in your mouth. They are easy to make and are a pair with any sauce.

You'll be amazed how easy you can make homemade potato gnocchi in your kitchen. Just knead a soft dough from potatoes, egg and flour and turn it into a bunch of soft potato pillows which pairs great with any sauce.

Once made, gnocchi can be prepared in many ways, from just frying on a pan, pairing with classic Italian sauces such as tomato sauce or pesto sauce. Gnocchi can be also baked sprinkled with cheese.

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!

How to make homemade potato gnocchi

Cook the potatoes

For making perfect gnocchi, you need to use old floury potatoes with high content of starch which makes gnocchi light and fluffy. The best gnocchi comes from the potatoes cooked in their skin. Just place washed potatoes into a saucepan of cold water and cook until you can easily insert a fork into them. 

Make the dough

Drain potatoes and let cool slightly so you can handle. Peel of the skin and mash them using potato ricer or potato masher. 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 dough should be firm, but lightly sticky. Also the dough should be kneaded until the flour is fully incorporated, not a moment longer, otherwise the flour's gluten will make the gnocchi tough. 

Shape potato gnocchi

Once you have a dough ready, it's time for shaping little gnocchi. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a log 2cm thick. Using pasta dough cutter or a knife cut the log into 2cm long gnocchi. Leave them on the air to dry for a while. Gnocchi can be prepared immediately by cooking in a large pot of water or you can freeze them for later use.

How to freeze homemade potato gnocchi

You can freeze any uncooked gnocchi for up to 2 months by sprinkling each piece with a little plain flour and placing in a single layer in zip lock bags. 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.

Freeze Gnocchi

You can freeze any uncooked gnocchi for up to 2 months by sprinkling each piece with a little plain flour and placing in a single layer in zip lock bags. 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.

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 tray 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. Cook frozen gnocchi in boiling water in two batches. 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.

useful Tips for making the best homemade potato gnocchi

choose the right potatoes

When making gnocchi the most important thing is to choose the right potatoes. Use old floury potatoes with high content of starch which makes gnocchi light and fluffy.

Cook whole unpeeled potatoes

The best option for cooking gnocchi is to cook them in their skin, then once cooked, cool them and peel carefully with your hands.

mash the potatoes

For great results use a potato ricer or regular potato masher. Alternatively, try to grating cooked potatoes to get a similar result.

Don't use too much flour

When you add the flour, be careful not to over do it. The dough should be firm, but lightly sticky. This way you will get light and tender gnocchi which melt in your mouth. Add just enough flour to hold the dough together.

Don't overwork

Gnocchi should be handled with a light touch to prevent it from turning tough. Work quickly to roll the mix into log snakes and cut into pieces. The dough should be kneaded just until the flour is fully incorporated, not a moment longer, otherwise the flour's gluten will make the gnocchi tough. The final dough should be soft, smooth and little bit sticky.

Make ridges on gnocchi

Once you've cut the individual pieces, roll each one over the back of a lightly floured fork to give ridges. This is not just for looks as they'll also help the sauce cling to the gnocchi.

Cook gnocchi in a large amount of water

Add the gnocchi into a pan of salted, boiling water and allow them to float before scooping out with a slotted spoon. This shouldn't take more than 2 - 3 minutes.

More Tasty Gnocchi & Pasta To Try:

• Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Aubergines
• Homemade Malloreddus Pasta
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi
• Linguine with Tuna Tomato Sauce
• Spelt Gnocchi

INGREDIENTS

• 500g floury potatoes (3 medium potatoes)
• 100g plain flour
• 1 medium egg
• salt for seasoning

METHOD

1. Place potatoes into a large saucepan of cool salted water. Bring the water to the boil and cook for 20 - 25 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 your fingers. Mash the potatoes using potato ricer or masher. Tip the potatoes onto a clean work surface and sprinkle over the flour then season with salt. Make a well in the centre and break an egg into it. Very quickly mix together until the dough just forms, then shape into a ball.
   
   
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 1.5 - 2 cm thick. Cut each log into 2 cm pieces. Leave the gnocchi on the air for about 10 - 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in bathes, stirring gently to ensure they don't stick. Cook until they float to the surface, after another 15 - 30 seconds in the water, remove with a slotted spoon and serve with desired sauce.
   
   

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