Potato Gnocchi

5 from 5 votes

Light and airy gnocchi made from riced russet potatoes, flour, and egg. Serve with your favorite sauce for the perfect Italian meal.

Prep Time45

Cook Time35

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra if required and for dusting
1 large egg beaten
2 tablespoons semolina flour for dusting only

Instructions

Place potatoes in pot and fill 2 inches above with cold water. Bring to a boil then turn heat to medium and cook partially covered for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If a sharp knife slides through the potatoes, they are ready to be drained.
Drain potatoes in a colander, then spread out on a board to cool. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and discard all the skin. Run the still warm potatoes through a ricer.
Place the riced potatoes on a large work surface. Once potatoes are fairly cool, sprinkle with the salt, the flour, and drizzle the egg.
Fold the mixture together with a bench scraper to incorporate the flour into the potatoes. Form a rough mass by kneading for 30-45 seconds, but don't overdo it. If too wet use a bit more extra flour, working hard to use no more flour than necessary.
Once a cohesive ball has been formed place it to the side. Clean the work surface completely and sprinkle flour onto the work surface.
Grab 1/6 of the dough or about the size of a lemon and begin rolling the dough into a string about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick.
Once completely rolled out, cut with a sharp knife or bench scraper individual pieces about 3/4 to 1 inch long. Gnocchi can be grooved with a gnocchi paddle, fork, or left as is.
Place the cut gnocchi on a parchment paper lined baking sheet that has been sprinkled with semolina flour or all-purpose flour. Make sure to keep the gnocchi pieces separated to avoid any sticking. Repeat with remaining dough.
Once a full tray has filled up with gnocchi, place it in the freezer for 2- 3 hours to harden. Gnocchi can be cooked right away or saved in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
To cook gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and drop in a small batch (about 15-20 gnocchi at a time). Once the gnocchi float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and place into your choice of sauce. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

The recipe makes roughly 2 pounds of gnocchi or 8 moderate-sized servings.
Instead of boiling, the potatoes can be steamed or baked at 400f until very tender for 60-75 minutes. Some people have better results with baking the potatoes as they tend to be dryer.
The exact amount of flour required will vary but a good general rule is 1 1/2 cups to 2 pounds of potatoes.
Only knead for 30-45 seconds or just enough to form a cohesive mass.
Use extra flour for rolling and handling the gnocchi to avoid sticking.
Formed gnocchi should be cooked right away or frozen.
Freeze gnocchi on floured baking sheets initially (2-3 hours) then store in freezer bags for up to 3 months.

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