Potato Gnocchi

I’m an Italian American girl, so I grew up eating a lot of Italian food. I had never had gnocchi, however, until I was in college and a foreign exchange student living in Florence, Italy. My host family’s Nonna had made potato gnocchi for lunch one day. Needless to say, it was love at first bite.

Gnocchi is served like pasta, but they are really more like dumplings. They’re made with only 2 ingredients, potato, and flour and you serve them with simple sauces, such as a tomato with basil, vegan butter with sage, or pesto for example.

Is it hard to make potato gnocchi?

Even though the ingredients are simple, and making the gnocchi is not difficult, you will find that it takes a little practice. You’ll get better and better and will perfect your gnocchi-making in no time and your family and friends will be impressed.

It’s worth taking the time to make gnocchi at home. I’ve never found a store-bought gnocchi that compares.

Which potatoes are best to use for making gnocchi?

• Russet
• Yukon gold, or another yellow-skin potato

You’ll want to use potatoes that are similar in size for this gnocchi recipe so that the potatoes all finish cooking at approximately the same time.

How to make the potato gnocchi dough

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot of water. The potatoes should be whole with their skins on. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 20-30 minutes depending on their size. Drain the potatoes once they have cooked.
2. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm. It helps to hold a potato in a small dish towel while peeling the skin with a small paring knife.
3. Put the potatoes, while warm, through a ricer and into a bowl. You can use a potato masher and mash the potatoes if you do not have a ricer.
4. Add half the amount of flour for the recipe to the bowl. Mix and add the rest of the flour to form a smooth, soft ball of dough. The flour will be slightly sticky. The amount of flour used in a recipe is usually a bit less than a cup per pound of potato. This is not an exact science though. Some potatoes might have a bit more moisture which would require more flour to be used.
5. Place the finished dough ball on a floured work surface such as a cutting board. Cut the dough into 6-8 pieces. Roll each of those pieces into a long rope shape and cut the rope into gnocchi pieces approximately 3/4 of an inch in diameter and 1 inch in length. The pieces of gnocchi are ready to be cooked as is or you can use a gnocchi roller or fork to create ridges on the gnocchi.

How to use a gnocchi board

Rolling gnocchi on a gnocchi board is easy. This is what gives the gnocchi ridges. The ridges actually serve a purpose which is to help the sauce sink into those ridges and adhere to the gnocchi.

Rolling the gnocchi in 3 easy steps

The first step to rolling the gnocchi is to hold the handle of the gnocchi board in your hand and point the end of the board downward toward the cutting board or floured surface you are working on. Place the length of gnocchi across the board and hold gently with your thumb.

The next step is to gently apply pressure on the gnocchi with your thumb. You want to apply the pressure with your thumb running across the length of the gnocchi.

Lastly, As you are applying pressure, be moving your thumb down toward the end of the board and you will feel the gnocchi start to curl over. Repeat until you have made all of the gnocchi pieces.

You’ll get the hang of rolling the gnocchi on the board in no time. I find this process enjoyable. If you do not have a board, you can use a fork. The technique is the same.

How to cook the gnocchi

To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and keep in mind that you will cook the gnocchi in several batches, not all at once! Gently drop the gnocchi into the water a few at a time until you have a small batch of them boiling. In a very short time, they will float to the surface. Remove the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place them on a serving dish. Serve with a sauce of your choice while they are still warm.

Can you freeze gnocchi?

Yes, you can freeze gnocchi! Here’s how.

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Place the gnocchi pieces on the baking sheet. Make sure the pieces are lined up but not touching each other.
3. Place the baking sheet/s in the freezer until they are frozen.
4. Put the gnocchi in a freezer bag and put them back into the freezer until you are ready to use.

When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, just bring a pot of water to boil and add a few frozen gnocchi at a time into the water, just like you would do when cooking them fresh. When the gnocchi float, just give them a few more seconds to cook than you would the fresh ones, and remove them with a slotted spoon. Test one if you’re not sure that they are completely warm and cooked.

If you want to learn how to make potato gnocchi, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Gnocchi is so delicious, Happy cooking, and Buon Apetito!

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