Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings made with eggs, flour, and potatoes. This homemade gnocchi recipe is freezer-friendly and delicious when topped with all kinds of sauces. Pairs perfectly with our Pork and Wild Mushroom Ragu recipe or any of the delicious sauces from Frescobene!
Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 lbs whole russet baking potatoes
- 2 beaten egg yolks
- 1-1/2 all-purpose flour
- pinch kosher salt
- Your favorite pasta sauce
Instructions
Gnocchi
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook.
- Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.
- Scoop out the potatoes from their skins. Mash the potatoes and fluff them up with a fork into a large bowl (it works great to pass the potatoes through a potato ricer if you have one). It is best to work with the potatoes when they are still warm.
- Add the flour, egg and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not over-mix.
- Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter.
- It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough! Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.
- Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about one inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce).
- As you make the gnocchi place them on a flat baking pan that has lightly dusted with flour or lined with wax paper.
- At this point you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray, then once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into the simmering water for the next step.
Cooking the Gnocchi
- Bring at 4 quarts of salted water (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water) to a boil in a saucepan.
- Gently place the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon or spider strainer, shaking off excess water.
- Place the gnocchi on a warm serving dish. Cook the remaining gnocchi the same way.
- Top the gnocchi with your favorite (heated) pasta sauce and serve immediately.
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