How to Prepare Potato Gnocchi
Cook and rice the potatoes
Step 1: Cook the potatoes: Prick the potatoes with a fork to let the steam escape during cooking. Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 1 hour until tender. The potatoes must be completely tender, so don’t overcook them (Image 1).
Step 2 and 3: Once cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato masher (or food mill). Don’t burn yourself, but try to cook the potatoes as soon as possible (Images 2 and 3).
Step 4: Allow cooked and cooked potatoes to cool until warmer than lukewarm. Mix with the egg yolk until you obtain a smooth mixture (Image 4).
Prepare the dough
Steps 5 and 6 – Form the dough: On a clean work surface (or wooden cutting board), sprinkle the flour and salt, then add it to the egg mixture using your hands or a spatula. Knead for about 1 minute until a shaggy dough forms. The dough will seem slightly sticky, but if it is very sticky you can add a little more flour (Images 5 and 6).
Step 7: Shape into a rough rectangle and generously dust the top and bottom with flour (Image 7). It won’t be perfectly smooth!
TIP: I *DO NOT* want to overknead the dough, which can lead to sticky, chewy, and/or dense dumplings. The dough *will* be a little sticky – that’s okay! As long as it looks like a solid, mostly homogeneous mass, you should be good to go.
Step 8: Cut the gnocchi dough into 1 ½-inch-wide portions (Image 8).
Roll and shape the potato gnocchi
Step 9: Roll each portion into a long rope about ½ inch in diameter, sprinkle with more flour, then cut each rope into ½-inch pieces. Repeat the unrolling and cutting operation of the remaining dough (Image 9).
Step 10-12: Shape the pieces: There are a few options for shaping dumplings.
Ruffled texture: The most classic way is to roll the gnocchi on a cutting board with your thumb (Images 10 – 12). This creates a ridge on one side and a slightly cupped shape on the other end. You can also use the tines of a fork if you don’t have a gnocchi cutting board.
Make sure the table or fork is very well floured to prevent it from sticking. For a visual instruction, this step-by-step video shows how to roll malloredduswhich is the same process as preparing potato gnocchi. The big difference here, and the key, is use very little pressure to roll them. If you press too hard, they will crush.
No structure: You can also leave the gnocchi as tender pillows and they will be just as delicious! I recommend indenting each piece slightly with your thumb to create a cup shape to hold the sauce.
Transfer each piece to a well-dusted, parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange evenly in a single layer.
Serve
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a large skillet over low heat and heat your favorite sauce.
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water little by little. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface, cook for another 30 seconds to a minute or so until tender. Transfer them to the pan with a slotted spoon and stir to combine. If necessary you can add a little pasta water to dilute the sauce.
Alternatively, you can fry in a pan the gnocchi after boiling if you want them crunchy! Heat a pan with a little butter or olive oil and toss with the cooked gnocchi until golden brown. Serve with your favorite sauce and enjoy your meal!
