The Best of Fine Cooking — Real Italian 2017

88 real italian 2017

test kitchen

recipe

potato gnocchi

Making light, delicate gnocchi is easier than you’d think. Use the finished pasta in the

Gnocchi with Sausage and Leek Ragù on p. 52. Serves 6

2 lb. russet potatoes

(about 4 medium), scrubbed

63/4 oz. (11/2 cups) unbleached

all-purpose flour; more for

kneading and rolling

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Peel and put the potatoes in a large pot. Fill

the pot with enough cold water to cover the

potatoes by at least 2 inches and bring to

a simmer over medium-high heat. reduce

the heat to medium, partially cover the pot,

and simmer the potatoes until they are

com pletely tender and easily pierced with a

skewer, 30 to 35 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, let them cool just

enough that you can handle them, and then

peel them. Cut them in half crosswise and

pass them through a ricer into a large bowl.

let cool until almost at room temperature,

at least 20 minutes.

lightly flour a work surface. in a small bowl,

mix the flour with the salt. add the egg to the

potatoes and then add the flour mixture. Mix

with your hands until the flour is moistened

and the dough starts to clump together; the

dough will still be a bit crumbly at this point

1. Gather the dough together and press it

against the bottom of the bowl until you have

a uniform mass. transfer it to the floured

surface and wash your hands.

Knead gently until the flour is fully incor-

porated and the dough is soft, smooth, and a

little sticky, 30 seconds to 1 minute 2. (Don’t

overmix it, or the gnocchi will be tough; the

dough should feel very delicate.) Move the

dough to one side, making sure the surface

underneath it is well floured. Cover it with a

clean kitchen towel.

Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with

parchment and sprinkle lightly with flour.

remove any lingering bits of dough from

your work surface and lightly reflour the

surface. tear off a piece of dough about the

size of a large lemon and put the towel back

on the rest of the dough so it doesn’t dry out.

With the palms of both hands, roll the

dough piece on the floured surface into a

rope about 3/4 inch in diameter 3. With a

sharp knife or a bench knife, cut the rope

crosswise every 3/4 inch to make roughly

3/4-inch-square gnocchi 4. arrange the

gnocchi in a single layer on the parchment-

covered baking sheets, making sure they don’t

touch. repeat until you run out of dough,

reflouring the work surface as needed. When

all the gnocchi have been cut and spread out

on the baking sheets, sprinkle them with a

little more flour.

if you’re going to use the gnocchi within

2 to 3 hours, they can sit out on the counter. Or,

transfer them to a large zip-top bag or several

smaller bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

You want the final dough to be

soft, smooth, and a little sticky.

For gnocchi with a fluffy texture,

don’t knead the dough past the

point where the flour is fully

incorporated into the potatoes.

Move the palms of your hands

back and forth to roll the torn-off

portion into a long rope.

The gnocchi dough

will still be a bit crum-

bly when you first mix

the potatoes with the

flour and eggs.

When you cut the

rope into small square

gnocchi, try to make them

as uniform as possible.

How to make gnocchi

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