Gnocchi
People think gnocchi are difficult to make, but they’re not. It isn’t about measurements, it’s about feeling when the texture is right, which just comes with a little practice. Once you master it, you’ll never forget.
Ingredients 2
1.2 kg potatoes, dutch creams or russet reds work well
110 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), about, you may not use it all
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Method 9
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Place the , whole and unpeeled, on a baking tray and roast for 50–60 minutes, or until a knife can be easily inserted into the centre. Remove and cut in half to allow the steam to escape.
As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins with your fingers and pass the through a ricer or mouli. If you don’t have either of these, push them through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander with small holes. You don’t want to be mashing them with a potato masher as this will overwork the potatoes and leave you with a very gummy gnocchi, which you absolutely don’t want.
Dump the onto a floured bench and slowly start adding the , 3 tablespoons at a time. It’s best to use something other than your hands at this stage. I use either a paint scraper or a cleaver and chop in the flour by dragging the mix onto itself from the outside to the middle, making sure the flour is evenly distributed. Continue until the dough is no longer sticky. The thing is, the more flour you add, the heavier and tougher the gnocchi will be, so only add what you need.
Once the dough is no longer sticky, bring it together with your hands and gently knead by pressing down onto it. This is different from bread dough, where you want to stretch it; with gnocchi we’re just pressing, not stretching. If you need to add a little more at this point to keep it from sticking, go ahead, but keep it minimal. Once it feels like a nice soft playdough, shape it into a log and cut into five even pieces.
Working with one piece at a time, roll it with the palms of your hands to form a long snake. Roll it as thick as you like, depending on what size you’d like your gnocchi to be.
Once you have your snake, using a paint scraper or sharp knife, quickly cut the gnocchi into bite-sized pieces and place on a floured tray. Continue with the rest of the dough.
When all your dough has been turned into beautiful little pillows, place them, uncovered, in the fridge while you bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to the boil.
Cook the gnocchi in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Drop them into the boiling water and keep watch. As soon as they float to the surface, give them another 30 seconds, then scoop them out of the water and place in a bowl. Once all the gnocchi are cooked, simply heat your sauce of choice in a frying pan, add the gnocchi and toss to coat!
