Basic Potato Gnocchi

1. Cook the potatoes. Many recipes call for boiling, but this can waterlog the gnocchi. You can bake the potatoes, but this takes too long. I microwave them. Make sure to score or pierce the skins. This not only allows moisture to escape, but also prevents them from exploding inside the microwave.

2. As soon as the potatoes are tender (you can easily pass a small knife through), take them out and remove the skins. I use a clean towel to hold the potato so I don’t burn myself, and use a paring knife to peel the skins away.

3. Rice the potatoes. (If you didn’t read the recipe all the way and now are wondering what to do because you don’t have a potato ricer, don’t worry. You can mash the potatoes really well, and then fluff them up with a fork. The potato ricer is better because it adds air, making fluffier potatoes, but it isn’t essential.)

4. Add the egg and stir quickly so that the hot potatoes do not cook the egg. Add the salt and pepper and keep mixing until incorporated.

5. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Keep adding spoonfuls of flour until the mixture looks like bread dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and keep kneading until the dough is not sticky, adding flour as needed. (You may need more or less depending on the moisture level of the potatoes, the size of the potatoes, the size of the egg, the weather outside, etc.)

6. Pull off a ball of dough (1/4 cup) and roll it into a rope about as thick as a pretzel rod. Cup the rope into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces. Take each piece and roll it on a gnocchi board (or the back of a fork) to create the classic “lines” for the gnocchi look. These lines not only make the gnocchi look professional, but also allow the sauce to stick.

7. Freeze or cook.

a. To cook, roll them into a pot of salted boiling water. When they all float, wait another minute and then drain them.

b. To freeze, place the gnocchi on a baking sheet, put them into the freezer until hard and then transfer to a freezer bag. To cook from frozen, it will obviously take a bit longer, but the instructions are the same.

8. Sauce them with your favorite sauce. Tomato works well. I toss them into a frying pan with a bit of olive oil and butter and then top them with fresh parmesan cheese.