Sam’s kitchen Gnocchi

Gnocchi (little potato clouds)

I made these for the first time many years ago and we all love them, they’re great with a sauce or really plain with olive oil and black pepper. Serve as a starter or main, really versatile and not hard to make. My first attempt, I remember, was all rather messy! But that has never deterred me and I have managed to gain a method that is not quite as messy (making no promises here that you won’t have clearing up to do!) & is delicious. Please note this is my interpretation of gnocchi and may differ to an authentic Italian dish.

Ingredients

Approx 600g of mashed potatoes (peeled, diced, boiled until soft and then mashed)

200g plain flour (plus some extra for dusting)

1 egg beaten

Serves 4-6

Once you have mashed the potatoes and banished the lumps, add the flour and about half of the beaten egg.

Mix really well with a wooden spoon until combined. The mixture should all come together like a dough if it looks a little dry (you don’t want it looking like it has cracks) then add a little more egg. By the same token if it’s really sticky it will be really hard to work with, so add a little more flour.

Divide into 4 pieces and roll each one out to a long sausage shape, make sure you have flour on hand to add a light dusting if things are sticky. The diameter should be about 1.5-2 cm. Then using a teaspoon as a knife (I know crazy right?!!) slice into pieces 1.5-2 cm across.

Then using a fork, gently press the prongs into the surface of one side of the gnocchi. This will give you that iconic gnocchi look and also will help the sauce adhere to the surface better, so a win, win situation.

I find it best to lay them out on a lightly floured board not touching as they will stick together otherwise.

When you are ready to cook them bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Gently drop the gnocchi in, you can cook in batches, they are cooked in just a few minutes and you know they’re done when they float to the surface. I use a slotted spoon to remove them.

You can smother them in sauce and eat them, or bake them loaded with sauce & mozzarella which is what I usually do with them. My personal favourite is with a drizzle of olive oil, a twist of black pepper and a generous grating of parmesan, perfect! ♥