Gnocchi Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and stick them in the oven on a baking pan. They are finished when a fork or skewer goes through easily, about an hour for me.As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop the flesh out. (Bonus: top the skins with a little cheese, oil, leeks, and salt and broil; that’s what I’m eating as I write this!) Run the flesh through the ricer into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, pour in the egg yolk (if using). Sprinkle everything with salt, cheese, some pepper and/or a few pinches grated nutmeg (the nutmeg is best for cream sauces), oil, and about 1/2 cup flour. Work the dough extremely gently with the tips of your fingers until the flour is barely incorporated, then add the other 1/2 cup of the flour and repeat, again extremely gently.Turn the dough out onto a board dusted with flour. Gently work for another minute or two with your fingers, adding a little more flour if necessary, until the dough stays together and isn’t very sticky. It should feel more like dough than mashed potatoes. The goal is to work the dough as little as possible, adding as little flour as possible, but so that is dry enough that it doesn’t stick to everything. To test the dough, break off a small piece and roll it into a 3/4 inch thick rope, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces and drop these into a pot of boiling water. If they float after a few minutes you’re good; if they break up, add more flour to your dough. Cover the dough in plastic and let sit for 20-30 minutes.Clean the dried bits off the board and dust with flour. Break or cut off about an eighth of the dough and roll into a 3/4 inch thick rope, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. You may need to redust the board in between each rope. Move the pieces to a cookie tray, dusted with flour. Press each gnocco lightly with a small fork to create some ridges for sauce to cling to. Use immediately or freeze (I like to just stick the whole tray in the freezer, then break the frozen pieces off the tray to use or store in a container).To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to boil; salt until it tastes like seawater. Add about half the gnocchi (frozen is fine) and stir the pot to make sure nothing sticks. They should float to the surface after a few minutes; give them another 3o seconds or so, then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with rest of gnocchi, and toss gently with whatever sauce you’re using.