Ingredients
- 2 large baked potatoes
- 1/3 c ricotta
- 1 c flour w/ additional 2/3 c in reserve
- 1 tsp salt for dough
- 2 tbsp salt for cooking water
- 1 large egg
- 4 tbsp olive oil (or neutral oil for sauté)
- 1 glass jar marinara of preference
Hardware
- knife
- bench scraper (handy but not necessary)
- stock pot or large pan
- skillet
- spider, large slotted spoon, or small strainer
Plan ahead
This recipe focuses on the gnocchi itself. Figure out how you want to serve this. It goes nicely with a simple marinara but there are other options out there: gnocchi alla Sorrentina, used as dumplings in soup, buttered with Parmesan, with pesto…
Directions
- Bake potatoes in 400F oven for 1 1/2 hours or until fork tender.
- Cut potatoes in half and scoop out their flesh into a medium mixing bowl.
- Mash thoroughly then allow to cool until safe to handle with hands.
- Mix in salt, egg, and ricotta with potato masher.
- Mix in 1 c flour with masher. At this point, the gnocchi dough will start to come together and become impractical to stir except by hand.
- Flour hands.
- Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp remaining flour over dough and start mixing in by hand. After sprinkled on flour fully incorporates, repeat this step until the dough forms a coherent ball that does not break apart to stick on your fingers. It will still be a little sticky.
- Flour a clean counter or a pastry board.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface and cut into 4 even portions.
- Put stock pot filled 3/4 full of water on to boil. Add 2 tbsp salt. It takes 4 batches to cook all the gnocchi using a stock pot. Note: A quart sauce pan can do the job in 8 batches but the water will have to be changed after the 4th batch. It will cloud up and its handling characteristics will change for the worse.
- Keeping hands and surface slightly floured, roll out each quarter of the dough into an elongated cigar shape approximately 3/4” thick. Cut dough potions in half if it makes it easier to work with.
- Using bench scraper (or knife) cut pieces evenly about the width of the thumb’s inter-phalangeal joint on your non-dominant hand. There is to need to be overly precise with it.
- Place cut pieces onto a large plate leaving space between each so they do not touch. Make a shallow dimple in each using the tip of your little finger. This is not necessary but helps the gnocchi retain more sauce.
- Carefully drop the pieces from 1 portion of the dough into the boiling water. Stir softly every 10 pieces or so to prevent sticking. They will hang out at the bottom of the pot until they are done cooking.
- Turn heat down to medium-high. You want to maintain a slight rolling boil just above a simmer.
- Set timer to 1 1/2 minutes after the last piece goes in.
- Start pre-heating skillet on medium heat with 2 tbsp oil.
- When the gnocchi start coming to the surface of the water and follow the convection currents, they are ready.
- Once at this point, extract the gnocchi and place into strainer to dry for 2 minutes.
- Add second batch to the boiling water then set timer again.
- Add the first batch to the hot skillet being careful not to splash oil then toss to coat with the heated oil. Ensure that none of the pieces are stuck together.
- The 2nd batch boiling gnocchi should be about finished. When timer goes off, remove them to the strainer.
- Stir sautéed gnocchi so they cook evenly on both sides. When they are lightly browned, they are done.
- When the first sautéed batch is done, place in a serving dish then add another tbsp oil to skillet. Add in 2nd boiled batch that is waiting in the strainer.
- Complete the 3rd and 4th batch in the same manner- boiling one while sautéing the previous batch. It can be managed by a single person but it’s nice to have a bit of help. Note: remember, if you have to boil using a sauce pan instead of a stock pot, halve the amount of each batch and change the water out after the 4th batch is boiled.
- Mix all finished gnocchi carefully so that they are all the same temperature before serving. Serve lightly sauced in a marinara or in a manner that strikes your fancy.