Soft, airy little pillows of potato dough, pressed with a fork for the classic ridged pattern that holds sauce perfectly. Fundamental Italian comfort food, and with the right, floury potato surprisingly easy to make yourself.
Gnocchi di patate
Gnocchi di patate
Method
01
Boil the potatoes
Boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender in salted water, approx. 25–30 minutes. Drain and peel them while still warm.
02
Mash
Press the warm potatoes through a potato ricer or fine sieve onto a clean work surface and leave to steam off briefly.
03
Knead the dough
Make a well in the mashed potato, break the egg into it and sprinkle with salt and nutmeg. Gradually add the flour and knead gently, as little as possible, to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Too much kneading or flour makes the gnocchi tough.
04
Roll
Divide the dough into portions and roll each into a long rope of approx. 2 cm thick on a floured work surface.
05
Cut and shape
Cut the ropes into pieces of approx. 2 cm. Roll each piece over the surface with a fork or gnocchi board to make the classic ridged pattern.
06
Cook
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches; they are done as soon as they float to the surface, after approx. 2–3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
07
Serve
Toss immediately with melted butter and sage, tomato sauce or pesto. Finish with grated Parmigiano.
Tips & notes
Use floury potatoes that aren't too new and boil them in their skins; that keeps the moisture low, and less moisture means less flour needed and therefore lighter gnocchi. Knead the dough as little as possible; overworking develops the gluten and makes the gnocchi tough instead of airy. Keeps for 2–3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. You can freeze raw gnocchi on a baking tray and cook them straight from the freezer (a little longer than fresh gnocchi).
Variations
- Add 100 g of finely puréed spinach to the dough for green gnocchi verdi.
- Pan-fry the cooked gnocchi in butter until light gold for extra textural contrast.
Contains:
Gluten
Eggs
Milk
Serve with
| Calories | 462 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 95 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fibre | 8 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
