Description
This homemade potato gnocchi recipe yields pillowy, tender gnocchi made from scratch using simple ingredients like russet potatoes, flour, and eggs. The recipe guides you through boiling, mashing, shaping, and cooking classic Italian gnocchi, perfect for serving with pesto or a lemon garlic sage sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Potato Gnocchi
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 3-4 medium)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg (whisked)
- 1 ½ cups flour (divided, plus more for rolling)
Instructions
- Boil Potatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the potatoes in half and add them to the boiling water. Boil for 25-30 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
- Cool and Peel: Once cooked, rinse the potatoes under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Remove and peel the skins off the potatoes carefully.
- Rice Potatoes: Using a potato ricer, press the peeled potatoes into a large bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, mash thoroughly with a fork or pastry cutter until no large lumps remain.
- Mix Dough Ingredients: Add the whisked egg, salt, and 1 ¼ cups of flour to the riced potatoes. Mix together by hand until well combined.
- Knead Dough: Lightly flour a cutting board with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Knead the dough for 20-30 seconds on the board until the dough comes together and is smooth but still soft.
- Roll Into Ropes: Take a handful of dough and roll it into a rope about ½ inch thick. If the rope is too thick, divide and roll until evenly about ½ inch thick.
- Cut and Shape Gnocchi: Cut the dough ropes into ½ inch squares. Using the tines of a lightly floured fork or a gnocchi board, roll each square to create characteristic ridges, rounding out the ends to form a cylinder shape.
- Cook Gnocchi: Bring another large pot of fresh water to a boil. Add about 15-20 gnocchi at a time, avoiding overcrowding. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the gnocchi float to the surface. Once floating, cook for an additional 10-15 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Serve: Serve the freshly cooked gnocchi immediately with homemade pesto or toss them in a lemon garlic sage sauce for a flavorful finish.
Notes
- Use Russet potatoes as they are starchy and ideal for light, fluffy gnocchi.
- Do not overwork the dough during mixing and kneading to avoid tough gnocchi.
- If dough is too sticky, add small amounts of flour sparingly to keep gnocchi soft.
- Gnocchi can be frozen on a baking sheet before cooking; freeze individually, then transfer to a bag. Cook from frozen, adding extra boiling time.
- A potato ricer yields the best texture but a fork or pastry cutter can be used as alternatives.
- Serving immediately is best but you can keep cooked gnocchi warm in a covered dish.
