Homemade gnocchi

• 20 minutes to prepare • 45 minutes to cook • Serves 4

Giovedì gnocchi

 

I have been experimenting with Nina quite a bit in the kitchen.
We’ve made chocolate muffins, and pesto sauce. Also, we have prepared bechamelle for our lasagne and savory crepes.
Our new project for last rainy Saturday afternoon was homemade gnocchi.
I know, it may look super difficult but it is unbelievably easy.

It’s fool-proof and requires only 5 ingredients – potatoes, flour, butter, Parmesan and egg. That is it.
The end result? Soft, pillow-y, light gnocchi that just melts in your mouth.
Pan-fry them and serve with a quick tomato sauce, ragu' alla bolognese, or simply some butter and sage. You choose because it is all good.

Here are ingredients for the 4-serving recipe:

 

500 g red potatoes
125 g flour 00
1 egg yolk
70 g Parmesan cheese, grated
70 g butter
nutmeg powder
salt

1. Preheat oven to 180°
2. Roll the potatoes in foil. The reason we roll potatoes in foil in the first place is so that you can trap the heat close to the potato and cook it evenly
3. Place baked potatoes in foil in a baking tray covered with salt. Let cook for 45 minutes at 180° rotating after 30 minutes. Use a fork to pierce the potatoes to see how soft they are
4. Put the flour onto a clean surface. Add the butter - cut into small pieces -on top, then the Parmesan cheese, grated
5. Using a peeler or your fingers, remove the skin from the potatoes. Mash the potatoes, still hot, on the Parmesan and let them sit for a few minutes until the cheese and the butter melt
6. Add the salt and nutmeg powder and mix well. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and place the egg yolk into it. Whisk the egg briefly. Then, using your hands, gently mix it into the potatoes until evenly distributed
7. Working quickly and carefully, knead the dough. Slice the dough into 4 parts. Roll out 1 part into a long rope, about 2 cm wide, cutting in half and working with 1 half at a time if the rope is becoming too long. Slice the rope into 1-cm squares and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough
8. If desired, place a fork on your work surface and slide each gnocchi square from the base of the fork prongs to the top so they make a decorative shape
9. To cook them, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in batches, stirring gently once or twice to ensure they are not sticking. Boil until they float to the surface; after another 15-30 seconds in the water, remove and season them with your sauce

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.