Homemade potato gnocchi
Soft, light potato gnocchi made by hand from just potatoes, flour and salt, tossed in butter and parmesan, a weekend project that’s easier than it sounds.
- 75 min total
- 50 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $1.33 a serving
- 450 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 4 russet potatoes, about 2 lb
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, plus 1 tsp
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the board
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 450 calories, 12 g protein, 67 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $1.33 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Scrub the potatoes, prick them all over with a fork, and microwave them on a plate 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway, until completely soft.
Timer: 13 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Microwaving keeps the potatoes dry, and dry potatoes make light gnocchi.Holding each hot potato in a kitchen towel, it and scoop the flesh into a big bowl. Mash with a fork until there are no lumps, spread it out, and let it cool 10 minutes.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Work while they’re hot. Cold potatoes turn gluey when you mash them.Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, cover and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and ¾ cup flour over the potatoes and mix with your hands into a shaggy dough. Knead in more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until soft and only slightly tacky.
Dolly’s tip: Stop as soon as it holds together. Extra flour and extra kneading make heavy gnocchi.Cut the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured board, roll each into a rope about ¾ inch thick and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Cook the gnocchi in batches: drop them into the water, and once they float, cook 30 seconds more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
High heatTimer: 2 min
Meanwhile, the butter in a large over low heat. Add the cooked gnocchi and gently to coat.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Low heat
Serve with the parmesan and pepper on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
