The Best Authentic Italian Gnocchi Recipe
Three-Ingredient Potato Dumplings
This authentic Italian gnocchi (pronounced gnaw-key) recipe calls for just three ingredients: potatoes, flour and an egg. They require a bit of time to prepare, but can be frozen and cook within minutes. Traditionally, gnocchi are served with tomato sauce topped with a sprinkling of grated cheese, and because they are potato-based, are quite filling — especially if they are made with whole-wheat flour instead of white flour.
Ingredients for the Best Authentic Italian Gnocchi
Makes at least four servings.
- 3 baking potatoes (or any potato with a dark brown skin)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of flour to start with (more may be required, so extra should be on hand)
How to Make the Best Authentic Italian Gnocchi
- Wash the potatoes. In a pot big enough to contain the potatoes, boil water. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes and boil them until they are soft. You can check they are done with a fork. If they pierce easily, they are good to move onto the next step.
- Remove the potatoes from the pot and place them in a mixing bowl. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off of them. Dispose of the skins.
- With a fork, mash the peeled potatoes in the bowl. They may be cut into pieces with a knife to facilitate the mashing, or a potato masher may used to do the job.
- Once the potatoes are mashed, add the egg and mix it in with the potatoes.
- Add the flour into the mix bit by bit. Here, using hands (flour hands so they don’t stick to the mix), blend the mixture. Ultimately, dough — not too firm and not too soft and sticky — should be achieved. The potatoes may absorb a lot of flour, so keep adding flour until the right doughy consistency is reached.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured large cutting board. Pull off a chunk of dough and roll it into a long tube shape. Using a sharp knife, cut about half-inch pieces from the roll. These little pieces are the actual gnocchi. To give them a finish, lightly press them into a fork to form grooves in the gnocchi. “Roll” the gnocchi off the fork with the thumb. The whole motion should be like a “drop and roll” Drop the gnocchi on the fork and roll it off with the thumb. Alternately, the fine side of a cheese grater may be used instead of a fork, to form indentations in the gnocchi. This step may require a bit of practice.
- Place the finished gnocchi atop floured trays or large plates. They should lie flat. If they’re one on top of the other, they will stick together and potentially make for a gooey mass when it comes time to cook them.
- Repeat steps No. 6 and No. 7 until all the dough is used.
- To cook the gnocchi, boil water. When the water is boiling, add the gnocchi. They are cooked when they rise and float to the top of the water. They should cook within five minutes.
Tips for Making Gnocchi
Gnocchi may be frozen after they are made. Flour a tray, baking sheet or plate, and lay the gnocchi flat on them. Don’t pile them on top of each other. Wraps with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer until they are ready to cook. Simple pop them until boiling water when it’s time to cook them.
Once gnocchi are frozen, they may be separated into individual portions and frozen in freezer bags. Simply divide frozen gnocchi into individual portions and freeze those portions in freezer bags. It’s fine if the gnocchi are piled on top of each other here because they won’t stick as they are frozen.
Gnocchi Ingredients, but Baking Potatoes are Best.
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