Homemade Gnocci

By tixrus-2

These homemade gnocci are a welcome change from pasta. It does take time to bake the potatoes but the actual hands on prep time is not so long.

Ingredients

• Optional additional ingredients: Choose one or none:
• 2 lbs. russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 to 1.75 C all-purpose wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, or parsley
• 1 C soaked sun-dried tomatoes, pureed
• 1 bunch spinach, steamed, finely chopped and pressed dry

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 F. Poke holes in the spuds and bake them for up to an hour. Cool completely then peel.

Add olive oil to potato innards and mash but do not puree. Add flour little by little, turn dough out and work it on a bread board. Keep adding flour until soft nonsticky dough consistency is achieved.

Work in optional flavoring ingredients if you are going to use them.

Roll into ropes and cut the ropes into 3/4" chunks. We just rolled them into balls but you can do fancy patterns with a fork if you want. At this point, freeze any gnocci you are not going to eat right away.

To cook, drop them in a pot of boiling salted water. They float after about 2 minutes. Cook them for 1 minute AFTER they float to the top of the water. It is ideal to transfer them immediately with a slotted spoon to the individual plates and top them with whatever sauce you will be serving, such as pesto or marinara or sauteed vegies.