Classic Potato Gnocchi Recipes

POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Use potatoes of a fairly even size, as you're going to cook them whole. Cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain and leave until cool enough to handle, then remove the skins.
• Mash the potatoes using a potato ricer or masher on to a large clean board.
• Sprinkle over the flour, finely grate over half the nutmeg, season well with sea salt and black pepper, then scrunch and push the mixture together with clean hands. Depending on the potatoes, you may need to add a little more flour - use your common sense.
• Knead on a flour-dusted surface for a few minutes until pliable, then divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a sausage about 2cm thick.
• Slice into 3cm lengths - this is your basic gnocchi. Now you can gently roll each piece down a butter pat, the back of a fork or a fine grater to add grooves, which will help your sauce to stick, or simply roll into balls.
• Nonna Teresa cooked her gnocchi 2 portions at a time, as it's so quick, and it also means they're less likely to break up. Cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes - as soon as they come up to the surface they're ready.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with melted butter and finely grated Parmesan, my Hero tomato sauce (or leftover sauce from a stew, which you can see in the picture), then finely grate over a little Parmesan, to serve. I also like to add a little dollop of pesto - homemade or jarred, it's up to you.

CLASSIC POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• BOIL the potatoes in their skins till soft. DRAIN the potatoes and peel them. MASH the potatoes while they are still hot till smooth SEASON with a pinch of salt and leave to cool for 10 minutes. ADD the first egg & 300g flour to the mash and mix to form a dough. It needs to be firm and not too sticky. ADD some extra flour if it seems too soft or if it is too stiff, add the second egg. ROLL it into a long sausage shape - the narrower the better. WORK your way along the dough cutting it into small, evenly sized squares, about 1cm wide PLACE your finished gnocchi on trays dusted with flour. Do not allow them to touch each other as they will stick together in a clump. BRING a large pan of water to the boil. CAREFULLY place the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, until they start floating to the top - when they float that means they will be cooked! USE a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish. MIX in the sauce of your choice and serve FREEZE any extra gnocchi and once frozen bag them up to save on storage.

CLASSIC POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large stock pot, cover with cold water and, add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the pot to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are soft and yield easily when poked with a knife, about 45-55 minutes.In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt the butter and rosemary. Remove from the heat and let the rosemary steep while the potatoes cook.Remove the potatoes from the water, let cool slightly, and peel while still warm. Using a food mill fitted with the plate with the smallest holes, mill the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Season the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt.Discard the rosemary from the melted butter. Add the cream, eggs, egg yolks, melted butter, and a few swipes of fresh nutmeg to the potato mixture. Stir to combine.
• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Create a well in the center of the flour, and pour the potato mixture into the well. Using a bench scraper, gradually cut the flour into the potato mixture, until all of the potato has been incorporated, and the dough is loose and shaggy. Bring the loose dough together with the bench scraper. Turn the dough a few times using the bench scraper, to incorporate some of the excess flour that remains. Before you add all of the flour, test the gnocchi by rolling and poaching a few. Test the dough additionally by poking it with your finger. If your finger is easily removed and the dough isn't sticking to it, then it's ready to roll and shape. Roll the dough into long, thin ropes, and cut into half-inch pieces. Gently roll the pieces over the tines of a fork with your fingers, to achieve the traditional shape of the pasta. Use a generous dusting of flour to help hold the shape of the pasta. Repeat with the remaining dough. The gnocchi can be stored in the refrigerator (on a rimmed baking sheet, generously dusted with flour) for up to 24 hours.
• Once the dough has been tested and rolled, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the gnocchi in the water and poach for a few minutes, until they start to float. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• To serve the gnocchi, melt a few additional tablespoons of butter in a medium sauté pan. Add the poached gnocchi and toss to coat. Add a few splashes of the salted pasta water to the pan, and taste for salt. Divide into shallow bowls and garnish with a generous grating of cheese. Serve immediately. Fontina Sauce (optional, not in video):In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, warm 2 cups heavy cream over medium-low heat. Add cream to a blender, and turn on low. Add 1½ cups grated Fontina and continue to blend until a smooth sauce is formed. Thin with ½ cup vegetable stock, as necessary. Season with salt and freshly grated nutmeg to taste.

HOMEMADE POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes and lower them whole in their skins into a pan of salted boiling water, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until just soft. Test with a sharp knife - you should have to push the knife in, it should not slide in easily, otherwise the potatoes will be overcooked and mushy and will have absorbed too much water. Peel them quickly, as the cooler they get, the less fluffy they become.Hold them in a tea towel to peel as they are hot.
• Using a mouli on a medium setting, press the potatoes into a bowl. Pass the potato through the mouli a second time, letting it fall on to the work surface. This second pressing is to make sure that the mixture is lump free, and also lets more air in. If you don't have a mouli, you could use a potato ricer, but only if it has small holes, and you may need to push the potatoes through three times to get the right texture.
• Make a hollow in your pile of potatoes, then pour in the egg and sprinkle over some of the flour. Start to blend everything with your hands, adding more flour but as little as you can get away with (you want the flavour of the potato to come through, rather than that of the flour).Work carefully and quickly, as the more you handle the dough, the harder and bouncier it will become. You need the same lightness you would use for pastry.
• You should now have a soft dough that holds together, doesn't feel sticky and can be easily shaped. Before you progress, check the dough by cooking a few gnocchi to see how they perform (see Valentina's tip, right).
• Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll a piece at a time into long, thumb-nail thick cylinders on a lightly floured surface, again working lightly and quickly. As you roll you will also be gently stretching the dough. Keep the surface well floured as you don't want the gnocchi to stick.
• Cut the dough into thumb-nail long lengths. Some people don't bother to shape and pattern them, but just cook them as they are. However, the shaping and patterning gives a hollow on one side and a pattern on the other that enables the sauce to cling better, and also makes each piece recognisable as a gnocco (a single gnocchi).
• Roll the gnocchi in a little flour. Holding them very lightly, form each into a small concave gnocchi shape: hold them against the prongs of the back of a fork, pressing only firmly enough to get the imprint (not so firmly that they go through the prongs), then guide each one so it tumbles away from the fork. Use your thumb as a guide and your fingers to pick and curl the gnocchi up. Spread them on a large board until required.
• Bring a large, deep pot of salted water to the boil. Working with a few at a time (don't cook more than you can cope with at once, see tip, right), drop in the gnocchi and listen for the wonderful kissing noise they make as they go in. Let them cook for 2 minutes, during which time they will bob back up to the surface, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Taste - they should be sofficí e leggeri (soft and light), the gnocchi equivalent of al dente.
• For the tomato sauce, deseed and finely chop the tomatoes. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan. Rub about 30 sage leaves in your hand to release the flavour, then fry for a few seconds until they darken slightly. Lift out and drain on paper towel. For each person put 20 gnocchi in a bowl and scatter over the tomatoes and sage. Drizzle over a little melted butter, then finish with a grating of black pepper and a sprinkling of finely grated parmesan.

EASY HOMEMADE POTATO GNOCCHI RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce a potato. Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm.
• Using a peeler or your fingers, remove the skin from the potatoes. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes until all lumps are gone. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and crack an egg into it. Whisk the eggs briefly. Then, using your hands, gently mix it into the potatoes until evenly distributed.
• Put 1 cups of flour onto a clean surface and turn out the potato dough onto it, keeping the remaining ½ cup close by in case you need it. Working quickly and carefully, knead the dough, only incorporating as much flour as you need along the way until the dough loses stickiness and becomes more solid. Slice the dough into 4 parts. Roll out 1 part into a long rope, about 1 inch wide, cutting in half and working with 1 half at a time if the rope is becoming too long. Slice the rope into ½-inch squares and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• If desired, place a fork on your work surface and slide each gnocchi square from the base of the fork prongs to the top so they make a decorative shape.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in batches, stirring gently once or twice to ensure they are not sticking. Boil until they float to the surface; after another 15-30 seconds in the water, remove.
• In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and add the sage. Add the gnocchi and toss until lightly golden.
• Enjoy!

POTATO GNOCCHI RECIPE | HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Wash the potatoes with their skin under fresh water. Cook them in a large pot with plenty of water, then drain and peel them. Put the flour on your work surface and make a well in the center. Then put the potatoes in a potato ricer and mash directly on top of the flour.
• In a separate dish beat the egg with a fork and add the fine salt. Stir and let the salt dissolve. Then add 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg to the potatoes.
• knead the ingredients with your hands, quickly and for a short time. With your hands make a ball
• Cut a piece of dough about the size of an orange. Using your hands, roll the dough into a long rope, about 1 cm (1/2 inch) wide. If too long, cut it in half and work one piece of rope at a time.
• Cut the roll of dough every 2 cm (about 1 inch) so that you have small cylinders. Set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough. Slide your little cylinders over a gnocchi board previously floured. Press lightly with your thumb in the middle. Now gnocchi are ready. Let rest them at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, add the coarse salt. Then pour in the gnocchi a few at a time, stirring gently once or twice to make sure they don't stick. Cook until the gnocchi come to the surface. Drain them with a slotted spoon when they float.
• In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the sage. As you drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, pour them into the skillet. Sauté and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and serve.