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Potato Gnocchi From Scratch




Source of Recipe


Recipe Girl


List of Ingredients




2 large Russet potatoes (1 1/4 lbs)
1 (heaping) tablespoon ricotta cheese
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large Eggland's Best egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
TO SERVE:
Grated Parmesan cheese
basil leaves
marinara sauce

Recipe



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the potatoes and wrap tightly in foil. Place the potatoes on a baking stone or sheet pan and bake for 90 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven, unwrap immediately and cool until easily handled (but still somewhat warm.)
Peel the potatoes and discard the skin. Press the warm, cooked potatoes through a ricer onto a clean work surface, or gently mash.

Add the ricotta cheese to the pile of riced potatoes and gently work in just until lightly distributed. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and gently fold together until combined. Don’t smash the potatoes, but mix with your hands using a gentle folding method. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and add the lightly beaten egg. Work in the egg and continue mixing to form a soft smooth dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough! The dumplings will end up dense and won’t expand when cooked if it’s overworked.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (SEE NOTE BELOW)
Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a log about 3/4-inch in diameter. Flour a table knife or kitchen scraper and cut each log into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch gnocchi pillows. To shape the gnocchi, either press gently in the center with your finger or roll down the back of a fork (see video) to make ridges.

Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat just a little and add some of the shaped gnocchi. Be sure you don’t crowd the pot - so cook in batches depending on the size of your pot. The gnocchi cooks quickly, in about 2 minutes, and rises to the top of the water when done. Remove the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean, dry baking sheet to dry while cooking the remaining dough. When cooked, the gnocchi should puff up or swell and have a pillowy soft texture when eaten.

If there’s not enough flour in the dough, the gnocchi will fall apart when boiled. Before forming all the gnocchi, you can test one piece in the boiling water to make sure it will hold together.

To freeze gnocchi, lay the shaped dough in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for about an hour then transfer to a freezer safe container. Use within 30 days.
To serve gnocchi, add to your favorite warmed sauce and serve immediately.