Description
Homemade gnocchi! Just four simple ingredients result in the dreamiest little dumplings. They are actually easier to make than you may think and so much more delicious than store-bought. From baked and sautéed to boiled you’ll find so many ways to use them!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 pounds (900 grams) russet potatoes
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (128 grams) flour + more as needed for bench
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Pierce the potatoes in a 3 or 4 places with a fork, wrap in foil and bake whole without peeling in a 450F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They should be al dente. Peel potatoes while they are still hot, using a towel to hold them. Cut into chunks and press through a potato ricer (or use a grater) onto a clean surface. We find it easiest to do right on the counter but you could also use a large cutting board.
- Pour beaten egg over the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and sift flour over.
- Use the bench scraper, or your hands, and lightly mix together. Keep your motion light, no smashing the dough rather just gently folding the dough together. Dust the surface with flour as needed. The goal is to keep the dough light with just enough kneading to create a soft dough. Add more flour if needed.
- Form the dough into a fat log and cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Dust your surface with flour if your dough starts to stick.
- Place the gnocchi cut side down on a ridged board, lightly floured(or back of a fork). Press down with your thumb and roll your thumb as you roll with the dough. Create a loose tube by folding it over itself. Lightly flour a pan and place finished gnocchi on the pan to rest while you finish rolling the rest.
- Bring salted water to a simmer, enough salt that it tastes like sea water. Salting the water will give a much more flavorful gnocchi! Cook in small batches to avoid overcrowding and cooling the water down too much. Gnocchi cooks in 2-4 minutes. When it floats to the top it is done. Remove with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a gentle simmer before adding the subsequent batches. Avoid overcooking as the gnocchi will start to fall apart.
Notes
- To freeze gnocchi: Lay the gnocchi (uncooked) out on a pan so they are not touching each other. Place in freezer for at least 2 hours. When frozen, store in a sealed bag or container for up to 4 months.
- To cook frozen gnocchi: drop directly into boiling water from the freezer.
- Tips for making the best gnocchi: Use older potatoes! They have less moisture and more starch, which makes the gnocchi pillowy light. Large baker potatoes, like russets, are the best choice here. The thicker the skin, the older the potato.
- Baking the potatoes in their skins helps remove moisture and will yield the lightest pillowy gnocchi.
- Processing the hot potatoes as soon as they come out of the oven is key. The starch changes as soon as they begin to cool resulting in a gluier texture. Best not to use pre-baked potatoes.
- Use a ricer not a masher for the potatoes. (A grater can work as an alternative.)
- Avoid over-mixing and smash kneading the dough. The goal is to keep the texture light, too much kneading changes the texture.
- It is best to either cook all the gnocchi right away or freeze. (Water seeps out in uncooked gnocchi when stored in the fridge resulting in a gray mushy dough.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 15 Gnocchi
- Calories: 125
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 135.9 mg
- Fat: 0.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 18.6 mg