Potato Gnocchi Four Ways Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Wash the potatoes, prick them with a fork and place them on a sheet pan. Bake them until very soft, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Resist roasting them at a higher temperature to speed up the process--you want the skin and flesh just inside the skin to become crusty.) Cool them slightly and scoop out the insides. Rice the scooped potato with a ricer, or mash them with a fork. Place them in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth to retain their heat. The potatoes must be used while they are still very warm.
• Beat the eggs and yolk lightly together in a small bowl. Add them to the potatoes along with the flour, rosemary, salt, a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Mix gently with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the dough is smooth.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface. Lightly knead and add a little more flour if the dough is overly sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, uncovered.
• Roll the dough into thin 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Using a generous amount of flour, press each piece against your thumb tip to make a dent or roll it over the back and off the tip of a floured fork tines to make the traditional ridged shape. Place the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cook them as soon as possible in boiling salted water. (For every 5 quarts of water add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.)
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. When they rise to the top, let them cook for a minute or two and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain well and toss with butter.

Steps:

• Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce a potato. Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm.
• Using a peeler or your fingers, remove the skin from the potatoes. In a medium bowl, mash the potatoes until all lumps are gone. Add the salt and pepper and mix well. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and crack an egg into it. Whisk the eggs briefly. Then, using your hands, gently mix it into the potatoes until evenly distributed.
• Put 1 cups of flour onto a clean surface and turn out the potato dough onto it, keeping the remaining ½ cup close by in case you need it. Working quickly and carefully, knead the dough, only incorporating as much flour as you need along the way until the dough loses stickiness and becomes more solid. Slice the dough into 4 parts. Roll out 1 part into a long rope, about 1 inch wide, cutting in half and working with 1 half at a time if the rope is becoming too long. Slice the rope into ½-inch squares and set aside on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• If desired, place a fork on your work surface and slide each gnocchi square from the base of the fork prongs to the top so they make a decorative shape.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi in batches, stirring gently once or twice to ensure they are not sticking. Boil until they float to the surface; after another 15-30 seconds in the water, remove.
• In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and add the sage. Add the gnocchi and toss until lightly golden.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Pierce the potatoes several times so that moisture can escape during baking. Bake the potatoes in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 1 hour until fork tender. Peel the potatoes while they are still hot and press them through a potato ricer. Put the potatoes in a large bowl with salt, baking powder, and egg white. Add the flour a little at a time and mix with your hands until the mixture forms a rough dough. Do not over-work the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough for 1 or 2 minutes until smooth, adding a little bit more flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking.
• Break off a piece of the dough and roll it back and forth into a rope, about the thickness of your index finger. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece down a wooden gnocchi board while pressing a small dimple with your finger. The gnocchi should be slightly curved and marked with ridges. This will allow the pillows to hold sauce when served.
• Boil the gnocchi in batches in plenty of salted water. The gnocchi are done about 2 minutes after they float to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, and serve. If not cooking immediately, place the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking pan dusted with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
• Note: If the gnocchi start to feather and fall apart in boiling water, you need more flour. If the gnocchi don't float after 2 minutes and are hard, you used too much flour.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Peel the potatoes and chop into equal-sized chunks. Lay a large sheet of kitchen foil on your work surface, pile the potatoes into the middle and arrange the bay leaves on top, if using. Fold the foil over the potatoes, then fold the edges in to seal and create a parcel. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until the potatoes are tender. Or, tip into a heatproof bowl, cover (do not use foil) and cook in the microwave for 10 mins on high. If still firm, microwave in 5-min bursts until tender. While the potatoes are still hot, pass them through a ricer or push through a sieve onto a tray and cool completely. Will keep chilled for up to two days before using.
• Scatter the flour, 10g of cheese, ½ tsp salt and a grating of nutmeg over the potatoes on the tray, then gently tip the egg yolks on top. Gently bring everything together with your hands until you have a uniform dough that resembles crumbly pastry. Knead for about a minute until it just comes together, but don't overwork it. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each one out into a long, finger-thick sausage on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sausage into 1.5-2cm nuggets. The gnocchi can now be cooked, or you can create ridges on them by rolling them over the back of a fork, grater or sushi mat. Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on the tray. Will keep frozen for up to three months. First, freeze on the tray until solid, then portion into food bags.
• Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. If cooking all the gnocchi at once, you'll need to do this in three batches, cooking each batch for 2 mins, or until they rise to the surface. (You can also cook them for 3-5 mins from frozen.) Remove to a colander using a slotted spoon. Reserve 150ml of the cooking water, discarding the rest. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat with about ½ tsp cracked black pepper and sizzle until the butter turns a nutty brown. Toss through the gnocchi, remaining cheese and about half of the reserved cooking water, then turn up the heat slightly and toss until the gnocchi is well-coated in a thick, cheesy sauce. You may need to add a little more of the cooking water to loosen. Serve the gnocchi straightaway in warm bowls.