Gnocchi is one of those recipes that can take a few attempts to get right, mainly because it’s all by feel. There really isn’t a magical ratio of exact measurements for you to follow- instead, work with the dough, use your senses, and trust that everything will fall into place!
Ingredients
1-1.5 cups of flour (preferably 00)
4 potatoes or about 2 pounds
1 yolk, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp of fresh oregano, minced (or any other fresh herb you happen to have on hand)
1 tsp salt
white pepper to taste
Method
Choose potatoes with a low moisture content, such as Idahoes or other russet varieties. Puncture potatoes with a fork repeatedly before roasting at 400°F for about an hour (depending on the size).
As soon as you can manage to hold them, peel away the skin with a paring knife and push through a tamis onto a clean (preferably wooden) surface. Spread the potato out with a pastry bench scraper using chopping movements, and then begin sprinkling the other ingredients over it. The basic principle is to use as much potato as possible, and as little of everything else. Drizzle the egg yolk, then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and oregano across the potatoes.
Begin blanketing the mixture with flour, using a chopping motion once more with the bench scraper to incorporate everything into a coarse meal. Gather it with your hands and begin folding the dough as you slowly add more flour. You don’t want to work the dough too much as it will make the gnocchis gummy, so do not exceed 8-10 turns. Hopefully when complete the dough should feel similar to pizza dough.
Once finished folding, form the dough into a log and give it a good smack on all sides to get out any air bubbles and increase the density. Break the dough down into sections and roll each into a half-inch thick log. Rolling it this thin can be tricky, but any thicker and the outsides of the gnocchi will overcook before the center finishes. Work quickly because the longer the dough sits the softer it becomes, making the entire process more difficult (as if it weren’t difficult enough already!)
From here, cut each log into similar sized dumplings with the bench scraper and then either roll them down a gnocchi board or the underside of a fork, letting them fall onto a floured surface.
Once your gnocchi are formed you want to cook them in a large pot of heavily salted, slow-boiling water. When they float to the top they are finished cooking and must be transferred immediately to ice water in order to stop them from overcooking.
When you are ready to eat, sauté them in some beautifully browned butter and pair them with whatever sauce and accoutrements you like. My favorite is with crispy prosciutto, english peas, and a lemon-mint pesto. Hope you enjoy, and of course, be sure to let me know if all your gnocchi fell into place!
Method
Choose potatoes with a low moisture content, such as Idahoes or other russet varieties. Puncture potatoes with a fork repeatedly before roasting at 400°F for about an hour (depending on the size). As soon as you can manage to hold them, peel away the skin with a paring knife and push through a tamis onto a clean (preferably wooden) surface. Spread the potato out with a pastry bench scraper using chopping movements, and then begin sprinkling the other ingredients over it. The basic principle is to use as much potato as possible, and as little of everything else. Drizzle the egg yolk, then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and oregano across the potatoes.
Begin blanketing the mixture with flour, using a chopping motion once more with the bench scraper to incorporate everything into a coarse meal. Gather it with your hands and begin folding the dough as you slowly add more flour. You don’t want to work the dough too much as it will make the gnocchis gummy, so do not exceed 8-10 turns. Hopefully when complete the dough should feel similar to pizza dough.
Once finished folding, form the dough into a log and give it a good smack on all sides to get out any air bubbles and increase the density. Break the dough down into sections and roll each into a half-inch thick log. Rolling it this thin can be tricky, but any thicker and the outsides of the gnocchi will overcook before the center finishes. Work quickly because the longer the dough sits the softer it becomes, making the entire process more difficult (as if it weren’t difficult enough already!)
From here, cut each log into similar sized dumplings with the bench scraper and then either roll them down a gnocchi board or the underside of a fork, letting them fall onto a floured surface.
Once your gnocchi are formed you want to cook them in a large pot of heavily salted, slow-boiling water. When they float to the top they are finished cooking and must be transferred immediately to ice water in order to stop them from overcooking.
When you are ready to eat, sauté them in some beautifully browned butter and pair them with whatever sauce and accoutrements you like. My favorite is with crispy prosciutto, english peas, and a lemon-mint pesto. Hope you enjoy, and of course, be sure to let me know if all your gnocchi fell into place!
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