Enjoy the flavors of authentic Italian food with this light potato dumpling recipe made with potatoes, egg yolks, flour and a few basic seasonings.
You’ll Need:
1 pound russet potatoes
3 to 4 large egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting board and dough
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Scrub the russets under running water until quite clean. Stab them with a fork a couple of times and then bake them until slightly overdone, about 45-50 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool just long enough to handle comfortably. Cut them in half and scoop out the baked potato, reserving the skins for another recipe. (We recommend baked tater skins!).
Press the potatoes through a potato ricer while still quite warm. You’ll need 2 c. of riced potatoes. (if you don’t have a ricer you can Grate them, although this doesn’t work very well).
In a bowl mound the riced potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle, add 3 of the beaten egg yolks, the grated cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently Mix in the potatoes, mixing well with hands.
Sprinkle about half of the flour over the potatoes pressing it into the potato mixture. Add the remaining flour, Sprinkling it on little by little, folding and pressing the dough in between additions, until it just holds together. Avoid kneading the dough, which can make the gnocchi tough.
The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. An easy way to test the dough for proper consistency is to take a piece and roll it into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter, between the palms of your hands. It is ready if the dough holds together. If the dough crumbles add a bit of water, if it’s too sticky add a touch of flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces and then roll each into a rope about as thick as your thumb.
Cut each of the ropes into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Gently press your thumb into each piece creating a slight indentation. This indentation serves 2 purposes, first, it makes the gnocchi cook faster and secondly, it holds the sauce!
Lightly flour a piece of parchment or wax paper and spread the gnocchi on them, not touching, for about 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Carefully remove the cooked gnocchi with a skimmer, shake off the excess water, and serve with whatever sauce desired.
We recommend:
Frozen Gnocchi Directions:
To cook, drop the frozen gnocchi into boiling salted water. Cook for about 2 minutes after they rise to the surface.