Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Anyone else absolutely obsessed with watching the Winter Olympics? I love it. The beautiful Italian locations are spurring my travel bug and have me researching future vacation ideas. It also has me craving pasta, pizza, and any other of my favorite Italian dishes including this recipe for Homemade Potato Gnocchi.
Gnocchi, pronounced like No-Key, are pillow-like potato dumplings about the size of your thumb.
They may look complicated, but are one of the easiest (and tastiest) homemade noodles I’ve ever made.
To make, start by baking potatoes. In my experience, Russets work best given their natural starch content.
When the potatoes are baked and tender, cut them open and scoop out the insides into a bowl to mash. My preference is to press the potatoes through a potato ricer for a smoother, softer, texture of the gnocchi.
To the mashed potatoes, add in a couple eggs, one egg yolk, salt, and just enough flour for the dough to come together.
Working with small sections of dough at a time, roll into a rope and cut the dough into about 1 inch pieces.
To make the iconic gnocchi marks, roll each piece of dough over a wooden gnocchi board or press lightly with the tines of a fork.
Please don’t skip this step. As any good Italian will tell you, ridges on your pasta are very important! It helps capture your sauce onto these delicious bite-sized morsels.
Once the gnocchi are made and pressed, I usually lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them into the freezer. When frozen, I bag the gnocchi into smaller portions for later use.
Homemade Potato Gnocchi – How to Cook
Whenever I’m ready to use the gnocchi, I dump them into a pot of salted, boiling water, and cook until al dente.
Drain the gnocchi, and toss into pesto or your favorite pasta sauce.
Top with some Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
This easy Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe is perfect for an authentic Italian meal. With simple How To instructions.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes
- 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 Egg Yolk, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 1/2 cups Flour
Instructions
-
Using a fork, poke the potatoes all over to allow steam to vent during the cooking process. Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake at 400℉ for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender.
-
Allow potatoes to cool slightly until safe to handle, then cut each one in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides into a bowl to cool completely.
-
Press the insides of the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl, or mash using a fork or potato masher until smooth.
-
Create a well in the center of the mashed potatoes, and add in the eggs and egg yolk. Gradually work the eggs into the potatoes and then sprinkle mixture with salt. Stir to combine.
-
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir. Finish, by turning the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and kneading until it comes together.
-
Divide the dough into about 8 equal portions, working with one piece at a time, use your hands to roll the dough back and forth while moving them outward to elongate the dough into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter.
-
Using a dough scraper or knife, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces and press each gnocchi with the floured tines of a knife or roll across a wooden gnocchi board to create lines on one side of the dough piece.
-
Place pressed gnocchi onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You can cook the gnocchi from here, or do like me, and place the baking sheet of gnocchi into the freezer. Once frozen, package the gnocchi into freezer bags and save for quick dinners at a later time. Cook from frozen stage without thawing the gnocchi.
To Cook
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Gently add the fresh or frozen gnocchi into the simmering water. When the gnocchi rise to the surface, cook until slightly firm, about 1 minute (about 5 minutes if cooking from frozen).
-
Using a slotted spoon, drain the gnocchi. Add them into your favorite pasta sauce and toss to coat.
-
Option- Instead of putting cooked gnocchi directly into pasta sauce, fry the dumplings first in a large nonstick skillet with about 1 tablespoon of oil and/or butter. Cook, and stir until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes, before adding to desired pasta sauce.
Recipe Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram using @MyFarmhouseTable or #MyFarmhouseTable
Leave a Reply