Potato Gnocchi

I love versatile potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate). They’re delicious dressed with just about any pasta sauce including pesto, easy gnocchi Sorrentina from the Amalfi Coast, or the simplest burnt butter and sage. You can even boil gnocchi ahead of time and reheat just before serving (see FAQ below for details). Best of all they’re so easy to make – scroll to the bottom of the page for my top gnocchi making tips. Learn more about how to make fresh pasta here – including tips on technique, equipment and ingredients – and see my page on how to cook pasta for perfect results every time.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

Rock salt, for baking
500g floury potatoes, washed (1lb 1½oz)
75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (2⅔oz)
Pinch salt flakes, crushed
1 egg yolk
Sauce of your choice, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Spread rock salt onto a baking tray.
Place potatoes on the salt and bake for 60–90 minutes, until a wooden skewer easily passes in and out of them.
Sift flour onto a clean, dry work surface.
Pass potatoes through a ricer onto the flour (or pass through a mouli or peel and press through a fine sieve). Reserve skins to make crisp potato skins.
Add salt flakes and egg yolk and use a pastry scraper to cut the flour into the potato, then use your hands to form a soft dough without mixing any more than is necessary.
Divide into 3 portions.
On a lightly flour-dusted bench, use your hands to gently roll each portion into a 2cm-thick (1″) sausage.
Using the pastry scraper, cut 2cm-long (1″) pieces, then roll them along a gnocchi board if you like.
Toss lightly in flour on a tray.
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil using 10g salt/litre water (⅓oz salt/2 pints water).
Boil gnocchi for a minute or 2, until they float.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop them out of the water into the sauce, reserving the cooking water.
Gently toss potato gnocchi and sauce together, adding a tablespoon or so of the cooking water to give a creamy, coating consistency.
Spoon gnocchi into warmed flat bowls and serve.

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How To Make Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi Making Tips

What is the secret to making good gnocchi?

Wonderfully light gnocchi are impressive and very easy to make if you remember three simple guidelines: minimum moisture, minimum flour and minimum handling.

Follow these simple tips to get great potato gnocchi results every time:

Rather than boil the potatoes, bake them on a bed of rock salt to draw out as much moisture as possible; a wooden work surface is also handy for absorbing moisture.
Make the dough while the potatoes are as hot as possible, giving off excess moisture via steam. A ricer or mouli is best as you can pass the unpeeled potato through them. Alternatively wait until they’re just cool enough to handle then peel and pass through a fine mesh sieve.
Use a pastry scraper or firm spatula to mix the dough so that you don’t overwork it.
Add just enough flour to hold the dough together and use a minimal amount when rolling it.

What are the best potatoes for making gnocchi?

Floury (starchy) potatoes make the lightest gnocchi because they cook up dry and fluffy, so the dough needs less flour.

Good choices include Russet, King Edward, Sebago and Kennebec.

Waxy varieties hold more water, so save those for potato salad.

Can gnocchi be cooked ahead of time?

Gnocchi can be cooked a day or even two ahead. Cool boiled gnocchi in a bowl of iced water, drain well, toss in a little olive oil, spread on a plate, cover and refrigerate.

Reheat by adding to a large saucepan of boiling water for a few seconds then sauce and serve as normal.

What do you do with leftover gnocchi?

Refrigerate leftover gnocchi for 4–5 days (depending on the sauce) – they’re great topped with cheese and baked.

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