Gnocchi Made Easy

Gnocchi

I used to think gnocchi were time consuming, but no longer.  Once you get the technique down they can be made for a family of four in under an hour.  The key is to add as little flour as you can to the gnocchi and boil one to see if it holds up.  It is easier to add a bit more flour than to bake another potato if you have added too much.  I cook the gnocchi ahead of time then either fry them before they get sauced  or reheat them directly in the sauce.  This makes for less last minute work.

• 2 1/4 pound russet potatoes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, about
• 1 medium egg or a scant large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the potatoes until they can be pierced easily with a knife, around 50 minutes depending on the size of the potato.  Peel them while they are still hot (I use gloves) and pass them through a food mill or ricer onto a clean pasta board or counter.

Bring about 6 quarts of water to a boil.  Set up an ice bath with 6 cups of water and ice nearby.

Quickly make a well in the center of your warm potatoes and cover the potatoes with about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of your flour.  Sprinkle on the salt.  Mix your egg and add all of the medium egg or about 3/4 of the large egg in the center of potatoes.  Like you are making pasta, begin bringing the potatoes and flour into your egg with a fork.  Once the egg is mixed in, bring the dough together with your hands until a ball is formed.  Knead the dough gently for at least 4 minutes or until the ball is dry to touch.  I then test the dough to see if it has enough flour.  I take a pinch of dough, shape it into a mini gnocchi and throw it in the water for one minute.  If the gnocchi breaks up in the water, I would add 1/4 cup more flour.  If the mouth feel is too soft I would add a few more tablespoons, knead for a minute and test again.

Once you have your dough right, break off about 1/5 of the dough and roll into a rope 3/4 of an inch in diameter and cut the rope into 1-inch pieces.  I have found rolling the dough into a rope not as easy as it sounds.  Two problems happen, the dough does not roll but gets a fat edge like a block or is completely uneven like a snake that just ate a mouse.  Since a perfect dough is still somewhat sticky, I flour the board and my dough and if you are rolling your dough on a slick counter, it can slip and create a flat edge.  If this happens, pat your back, your dough is the right consistency and what you need is a rough surface (to avoid the slipping). This rough surface can be created from the gnocchi dough that was left on the counter as you kneaded (look below the dough in my picture) or from a rough cutting board.  Making an even rope takes practice but is not as much of a problem.  Just cut the fatter gnocchi into smaller pieces to keep each piece as even as you can for even cooking.  Do not worry about having your gnocchi perfect, a rustic gnocchi equals homemade.  That being said, as you gently roll your gnocchi, start from the center and and move your hands outward.  If you have a pregnant rope, stretch a bit as you roll.  Always apply light pressure to avoid the block look.  I hope that helps!

I like to cut the the rope at an angle to create a gnocchi that has two points and a fatter body but I think a straight cut is more traditional.  I then take a fork and roll the gnocchi to get some fork marks and create a little pocket to grab your sauce.

After I finish cutting and marking my rope of gnocchi, I cook it right away in the water that I have boiling.  First I salt my water like the ocean tastes, fill up my flat strainer/skimmer with the gnocchi (see picture below) and drop them in the boiling water and boil them for at least one minute or until they rise to the surface.  Mine usually rise to the surface before one minute but continue to cook them for one minute.

After the gnocchi have cooked for at least one minute, use a separate skimmer to take them out of the water and drop them in the ice water.  I have one dry skimmer to drop the gnocchi in the water and one wet one to take them out.  I then repeat the process until I am done.  Once finished with all of the dough, drain and dry the gnocchi carefully, place in a bowl, pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dumplings and toss lightly with your hand.  If you have made a light gnocchi they can be tender and could break up if you are rough with them.  Place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.  They can easily be made the day before and I have held them for a few days with not much difference in taste.

You can reheat your gnocchi directly in the sauce of your choice, doing your best not to over crowd them.  I like to heat my sauce in a large saute pan then add the gnocchi in one layer and once hot, pour them directly into my serving dish.  Do not over cook them or they could turn to mush. If you have more gnocchi to cook, I would repeat the process, keeping the first batch warm in a warm oven.  I also like to fry the gnocchi to get a bit of a brown crunch on the soft dumpling.  While the taste of a crunchy gnocchi is pretty unbelievable, frying a soft bit of potato can be difficult.  I have had my beautiful gnocchi turn into a soft glob after a few minutes in the butter/oil.  The less flour you use for your gnocchi, the better they taste but the harder they are to fry.  I would test a few to see how your gnocchi handle the heat. If they turn to mush, reheat gently in the sauce. To brown mine, I heated a tablespoon of olive oil then added a tablespoon of butter.  I place the gnocchi in a single layer, gave them a shake and let them brown on one side.  Seeing they were too soft to turn with a spatula, I flipped them in the pan and gave the ones that obediently turned over for me a sear on the other side, while my bad gnocchi got a single side sear.  All in all, they were wonderful!  Please let me know if you have better luck!