Potato Gnocchi

There are several steps to preparing gnocchi, so I've added photos along with the recipe.

The first gnocchi I ever ate was in a small outdoor restaurant in Rome while traveling with my daughter. It was light, fluffy; I loved it immediately.

Gnocchi ("little pillows" in Italian) are actually dumplings. It's not supposed to be chewy or tough but that's what you'll get if you buy it off the shelf. They've either been dried out for packaging or the shelf time has taken out all the tenderness.

There are a few keys to making gnocchi fluffy and it begins with the potatoes. I store potatoes at room temperature. If you refrigerate your potatoes, then you need to let them come to room temp prior to boiling. Wash them. When you boil them, start with tepid water so they warm gently and cook evenly. Make sure the potatoes boil covered completely with water the entire time. If you start with a large pot, you can reuse the same pot later for the dough.

Check the potato tenderness after about 10 minutes of boiling and roll them over in the water. It's very important to remove them before their skin breaks because then they are overcooked. Push a fork with long tines to the center of the potato. If they aren't ready yet, keep an eye on them at 5 minute intervals so you remove them before the skin bursts. Remove them from the pot and put them in cold water until cool enough to handle.

Peel the skin off with a paring knife or use your fingers.

Use a ricer or a food processor with a shredding attachment to mash them. Mashing by hand may not get the big chunks broken apart. If you use the regular food processor blade, the potato will become gluey and that defeats your previous steps. Use the shredder attachment and not the blade. At this point use your hands for the remaining steps.

Spread the mashed potato out evenly on a working surface. Sprinkle salt on it and allow it to rest for 20 minutes (picture 1).

Pour the beaten egg over the potato, gather up the potato, and work the egg in with your fingers. Pour 1 C of the flour over the potato and knead gently, incorporating the dough. At this point, you need to pay attention to the moisture content and only add flour a handful at a time. The dough is ready when it's barely tacky. Cut off a piece of it and examine the interior. It should look like cookie dough with some holes in it (picture 2).

Flour your surface lightly. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a long rope about 18" long and an inch thick. Using a scraper, hold the sides of the rope as you cut, slightly squeezing in, and cut of 3/4" pieces (picture 3). You will have around 70+ pieces of dough.

It's a matter of choice if you want to use a fork's tine to make little indentations in the gnocchi. It doesn't add to the flavor, it's cosmetic, and it adds 5-10 minutes to your prep. For these reasons, I don't mark it.

Creamy Basil Pesto Sauce

Put a half a cup of pesto in a sauce pan, add 1/2 C heavy cream and 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream. Mix well and heat all the way through. Pour over gnocchi, toss, and garnish with a handful of shredded Parmesan and serve immediately.