Description: Gnocchi are Italy’s version of potato dumplings. They can be found all over the country in various forms and go as far back as the Roman Empire.
Dough: Potato Gnocchi Dough
Region: Found throughout Italy
Traditional Sauce: Can be found in everything from soup, brown butter, tomato sauce and pesto.
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Description
Hand-rolled potato gnocchi.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Prepare the potatoes
Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Cut in halves or quarters, depending on the size of the potatoes, and place into a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and let the potatoes cool.
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Prepare the dough
In a large boil mash the potatoes using a potato ricer. Add the flour, egg and salt. Gently mix just to combine. Over mixing or kneading will lead to hard and chewy gnocchi.
See link in the description for more details on making the dough. -
Knead the dough
Transfer the mixture to a counter or work surface. Unlike regular pasta dough we do not want gluten to form. We simply want to combine all the ingredients. Gently knead for a couple minutes to form the ball of dough.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes covered.
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Roll out the gnocchi
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. While working with one piece at a time keep the rest covered with a damp kitchen towel to avoid the dough from drying out.
Roll the dough into a snake around 1/2" diameter. With a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 1/2" pieces depending on the final size you would like.
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Shape the gnocchi
Traditionally a gnocchi board is used to shape the pasta. However, if you do not have one you can use the back of a fork or simply leave them rustic and keep them as as! The grooves from the gnocchi board will allow the sauce to better adhere to the pasta.
Take a piece of cut dough, using your thumb roll down on the gnocchi board. Repeat for remaining dough.
Dust with flour to avoid sticking and let rest for a few minutes before cooking.
See the gallery for more pictures on shaping the gnocchi. -
Cook the gnocchi
The gnocchi can either be frozen or cooked right away. To cook fresh drop in well salted boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until they float.
From frozen, cooking time will be around 10 minutes.
