RECIPE: Classic Potato Gnocchi

Homemade gnocchi is about as satisfying as it gets. It may be a little time consuming, but the ingredients are simple and so are the steps. You'll become a gnocchi-making pro before you know it. Grab a family member or a friend for a wonderful shared experience.

Soft pillows of goodness proving once again that we don’t need eggs to create fresh pasta. In fact, many traditional gnocchi recipes don't use eggs anyway! The trick here is to feel your way with the dough rather than stick to the set amount of flour as a hard and fast rule. Too sticky and the gnocchi may disintegrate in the cooking process; too much flour and you will lose the flavour of the potatoes. If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can use a fine grater.

Potato Gnocchi

Serves 4 | 1 hour + cooling

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg starchy style potatoes

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1-2 cups plain flour (approximately) + extra for dusting

METHOD

1. Into a large saucepan of water, boil the potatoes whole in their skins for approximately 25 minutes or until tender. Cooking time will depend on the size of your potatoes. Cooking the potatoes in their skins will help retain their flavour and absorb less water.
   

2. Drain potatoes and allow to cool enough to handle. Peel away the skins.
   

3. Push the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer and onto a floured bench top.
   

4. Sprinkle the salt over the potatoes. Pour half the flour over the potatoes and combine. Add the remaining flour as you go.
   

5. Form into a dough, but don’t knead it like you would regular pasta, as you don’t want to activate the gluten - you want to keep your gnocchi tender. If your dough is sticking to your hands, add more flour.
   

6. Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Dust your surface with flour.
   

7. Roll each of these pieces into a long rope using the palms of your hands.
   

8. Cut the rope into small gnocchi sized pieces approximately 2-3cm long. You can now create your desired shape by rolling into balls or making ridges with a fork or rolling down a wooden paddle (rigagnocchi).
   

9. Place gnocchi onto a tray lined with a towel. Repeat with the remaining dough.
   

10. Cook gnocchi in batches in a large pot of salted boiling water until they float to the surface.
    

11. Drain carefully with a slotted spoon and serve coated with your favourite sauce, such as a classic pomodoro sugo or perhaps an ultra indulgent creamy sauce.