Step 1

Clean the potatoes but do not peel them and place them in a large pot of cold water. Bring it to a boil and boil the potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes.

Step 2

To check the potatoes are cooked try inserting a knife into the centre of the largest one, if it enters with ease it’s cooked. Try not to do this too often as the incisions will let water in.

Step 3

Once cooked, drain the potatoes. Peel the potatoes when they are cool enough to touch. The skin should just rub off easily.

Step 4

When the peeled potatoes are still warm place them through a potato ricer.

Step 5

Tip the flour onto a clean work surface and place the potatoes on top. Start to incorporate the flour into the potatoes then add the beaten egg and salt.

Step 6

Knead the mixture until the dough is smooth and soft to touch without being sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough or it’ll become tough. Leave out any extra flour that doesn’t incorporate, if you need more flour add a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.

Step 7

Cut the dough into 4 then working with one quarter of dough at a time, shape it into 2cm / 1 inch thick logs. Cut each log into 1 inch / 2 cm pieces.

Step 8

You can use the gnocchi as they are or you can shape them using a gnocchi board or cheese grater.

Step 9

To shape the gnocchi, sprinkle some flour or semolina onto a gnocchi board. Place one piece of dough on the board and roll the dough over the board away from you whilst pressing firmly with your thumb.

Step 10

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, once they float on the surface of the water they are cooked.

Step 11

Remove from the water with a slotted spoon straight into your prepared sauce, toss the gnocchi to coat in the sauce and serve.