How to Make Potato Gnocchi

Thank you all for tuning in in this first live video! I loved seeing you all!
Here’s, briefly summarized, the instructions I talk about in the video, and the recipe.

WHAT POTATOES TO CHOOSE
Ideally, potatoes with a low water content. That would either be yellow flesh potatoes with either red or yellow skin. If they’ve been sitting around for a while, even better: old potatoes are perfect for gnocchi as they contain less water.

WHAT FLOUR TO CHOOSE
For this recipe, I used some regular white flour. If you’re dealing with Italian flours, a type 00 works perfectly, and so does a 0 or even a type 1. If using French flour, a T45 or 65 will be fine.
Actually, any flour here works, but please consider that water absorption might change and even quantities might drastically change if you use a coarser flour.

I have not yet tested gnocchi with gluten-free flours (next project!)

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CLASSIC POTATO GNOCCHI

Serves at least 8, so quite a lot if you have freezer space. Feel free to halve the amounts.

• 1kg potatoes (yellow potatoes, even better if old ones)

• 250g to 350g white flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 scant teaspoon salt

• Extra: 50g parmigiano, grated nutmeg

1. Wash your potatoes well. Cut a slit into them and boil them whole until very soft, anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your kind of potatoes.

2. Drain and let them slightly cool to handle them, but they should still be quite hot.

3. Use a potato ricer - you can cut the potatoes in smaller pieces and just crush them with the skin and everything, no need to peel them. You can just take out the skins once you pressed them. You can do this on a bowl, or straight on a cutting board, fountain-like.

4. Add the flour and salt and, if using, the parmigiano. Start mixing gently the flour with the potatoes, using the tips of your fingers, as to ‘rice’ it. This will help blend the flour and potatoes better. Crush bits of potato and flour with the tips of your fingers to create a sort of crumble.

5. Once done, start kneading. The dough should come together very quickly, with not much kneading needed. It should not be sticky.

6. If planning to cook the gnocchi straight away, start boiling a large pot of water.

7. Make a round ball of dough, flatten it a bit, and cut roughly 2.5 cm / 1 inch slices. Keep plenty of flour at hand to flour your board.

8. You can cut each slice in 3 parts, and roll each part into a mini log (as per the video). Line the 3 logs you just formed and cut them to form the gnocchi. Flour them well and transfer them to a well floured tray or plate (one that fits into your freezer if you’re planning to freeze them). You can leave the gnocchi as is, or, if you have time and patience, you can make them striped by using a specific tool or by just each gnocchi on the tines of a fork.

9. You can make your gnocchi bigger or smaller, to your preference.
   

TO COOK

Make sure you have a sauce ready in a pan. Also make sure that the water is boiling and has been lightly salted with coarse salt. Add the gnocchi a few handfuls at a time - it is very important that they’re not crowded or they will stick. When they rise from the boiling water, fish them out and add them straight to the sauce. The gnocchi only take a couple minutes to cook.

TO STORE OR FREEZE

If planning to freeze the gnocchi: flour them well and spread them in single layers on a tray or plate that can go in the freezer. Add them to the freezer and, once frozen, transfer them to a ziplock bag or freezer bag.

If planning to cook for later: boil the gnocchi as per instructions, then add them to a bowl, toss with a tablespoon of oil and store them, covered, in the fridge. You can use them the following day or night by reheating them once again for 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water and tossing them straight with any hot sauce of choice.