Recipe for homemade Gnocchi | Potato Gnocchi

Last updated on February 12th, 2021 at 07:04 pm

Recipe for homemade gnocchi - An easy and perfect recipe with step-by-step instructions to give you soft and pillowy Potato Gnocchis!

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You're obviously here because you like gnocchi and you wanna make 'em at home. So tell me, do you love them? I for one love gnocchi, I just don't know why. The first time I tasted gnocchi was at a restaurant in Miami when we ordered having no clue about how it tastes. I was mindblown!

It was an alfredo potato gnocchi; back then I used love alfredo sauce and nothing else. And then I had gnocchi when a decent Italian restaurant opened up back in India. It was pesto gnocchi with pesto chicken. By then I had fallen in love with pesto and gnocchi. And then when my husband and I moved to our little town, thinking of gnocchi was like looking for mangoes in a desert.

So I decided to make them and we have been swooning over it ever since. Well, by we, I mean my daughter and I. My husband isn't fond of it but if served he'll eat it. He prefers good old pasta over it. But that doesn't stop me from making gnocchi of course!

What is gnocchi?

Gnocchi is something in between a soft dumpling and a pasta. It can be made with starchy ingredients or even other dry ingredients like semolina, cornmeal, etc.. You can read more about this here. In this particular recipe for homemade gnocchi, I'm gonna show you how to make Potato Gnocchi.

What does it taste like?

Gnocchi are soft dumplings with a mild potato flavor to it. A good plate of gnocchi should be delicate enough to melt in your mouth. They are certainly not as chewy like regular pasta and they also don't have an al dente bite. They are bland and are meant to be that way. The subtle flavor of gnocchi gives way to the accompanying sauce to shine through.

What is it made of:

This recipe for homemade gnocchi is made of carefully cooked potatoes, a bit of an egg, all-purpose flour, and seasonings. Along with the seasonings, adding some parmesan cheese gives some depth and flavor to gnocchi.

Potatoes being the star ingredient, the basic idea is to keep other ingredients to a minimum. Gnocchi is often paired with a simple and thin sauce like pesto sauce, corn cream, butter sauce, etc. which complements the flavor of the gnocchi.

How to make homemade gnocchi:

Making gnocchi is always a delicate subject, many think it is very difficult but in fact, it is so easy; you just have to remember a few things.

Perfect gnocchi entirely depends on the type of Potatoes you use. Starchy potatoes like Russet or Idaho potatoes work well.

The next important thing is cooking the potatoes, which decides whether your gnocchi is gonna be chewy or well, perfect.

Potatoes take in moisture as they get cooked. Too much moisture will need more flour which in turn makes gummy gnocchi. This is why some choose to bake the potatoes rather than cooking them in boiling water.

But the important thing is letting the excess moisture out of the potatoes as soon as you remove them from the hot water. I do that by simply spreading mashed potatoes across a chopping board for 5 minutes. This does the job of removing excess unwanted moisture.

That is also the reason...

....why it is important to cook the potatoes with their skin on. So as to not let too much water enter into the potatoes. One more trivial step is the way you choose to break down the cooked potatoes. A simple potato masher would leave small bits of potatoes which eventually will prevent the formation of a smooth gnocchi dough.

In this recipe for homemade gnocchi, I've used a potato masher and a flat masher to further smash the smaller bits. But if you got a potato ricer, directly pass the chopped and cooked potatoes through them after peeling the skin of course. You can't use a blender here because a potato ricer adds a fluffiness as the potatoes come out of it.

The next thing you have to take care of is the way you incorporate the flour into the mashed potatoes. Which is why using electric mixers are a strict no-no. Gnocchi has to be made by hand and with a bit of care.

Essentially we want to avoid any gluten development and we achieve this by blending the flour into the potatoes using a bench scraper or dough scraper.

All these little but important techniques give way to soft and fluffy homemade gnocchi!

Shaping the gnocchi:

There are a number of ways you can shape and give texture to the surface of gnocchi. Like pressing it against the back of a fork and simultaneously rolling them downwards, or on a gnocchi board, or even using a mesh strainer (gives a criss-cross pattern). To do these, you cut the dough into equal 1-inch parts and shape them.

But I like to skip a step and cut it directly into small cylinders. I am plenty happy with this shape, mostly I feel like that's an extra step. To do this, I divide the dough into equal parts and roll each portion into thin and long ropes. Then, cut each rope into 1.25-inch cylinders. Actually, it saves me a lotta time.

Cooking gnocchi:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi in batches, taking care not to overcrowd them.
• Let the gnocchi rise and float. Once it does, let them cook for a minute more. Then, remove with a slotted spoon and put them in an ice bath.
• Alternatively, you can directly add the gnocchi to a pan with hot butter.

Trouble Shooting:

One of the main issues that I encountered was the gnocchi fell apart when I put them in ice bath. This happened because I left a few bits of potatoes in the dough and it wasn't really a "True dough". If your gnocchi is falling apart, you're back to square one.

BUT fret not, you can still save them by adding it directly into a butter sauce; by butter I mean a lot. Cos we need that lubrication to to avoid the gnocchi sticking to the bottom. Once you toss it in butter, you can use the gnocchi with any sauce.

That being said, always make sure you form a true uniform dough!

Serving Suggestions:

There really isn't a limited few ways you can serve this homemade gnocchi. You can substitute gnocchi for pasta in just about every pasta dish you are used to making. But for starters, here are some of the easy ways you can serve gnocchi:

• Pan-fried potato gnocchi
• Gnocchi with sage butter sauce
• Gnocchi with pesto sauce and pesto chicken
• Corn crema with potato gnocchi (this is my favorite)
• Alfredo gnocchi
• Gnocchi lasagne/casserole

Is it healthy?

Gnocchi's health quotient depends on what diet you like to follow. So it is not possible to rule this off as unhealthy or healthy. Gnocchi is naturally high in carbohydrates and thereby won't suit people on LowCarb or Keto diet. I like to have it in moderation.

Storage Instructions:

Storing gnocchi is really super easy. I prefer freezing them over refrigerating them or drying them. Gnocchi stays good for over a month when frozen.

To freeze 'em, arrange them in a single layer in a flat pan, freeze for an hour and then transfer it to an airtight container or Ziploc. To use frozen gnocchi, you can directly pop them in boiling water.

Special Diets and Allergen Information:

This recipe for homemade gnocchi has egg and all-purpose flour. So this isn't vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. Also, not a great option for a keto diet.

Variations and Substitutions:

This recipe for homemade gnocchi uses flour but it doesn't need gluten, which means you can substitute it with millet flour or whole wheat flour. It is not necessary that you use all-purpose flour.

On the other hand, you can use "00" flour which is softer than all-purpose flour and it would give even fluffier gnocchi.

As for seasonings, if you like you can add a teeny tiny bit of nutmeg to flavor it.

Recipe for homemade Gnocchi:

Some call making Potato gnocchi tricky but I don't not have any problem with making them as long I followed this recipe for homemade gnocchi and stuck to the measurements. It is pretty easy and you'll have perfect restaurant-style gnocchi to go into whatever sauce you choose!

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make it:

• Russet Potatoes or any starchy potatoes - 370 g (washed)
• Parmesan Cheese - 1 tbsp (freshly grated)
• Egg - ¼ medium (beat and split it into 4)
• Black Pepper - ⅛ tsp (or less to taste)
• Salt - ⅛ tsp (or adjust to taste)
• All-purpose flour - 1 cup  (+/- 1 tbsp)

Method:

Boiling the Potatoes:

• Add the potatoes to a saucepan full of salted water to cover by inch over the potatoes. Bring it to a boil and let it boil until a knife easily passes through the potatoes. It will take about 20-30 minutes.*
• Using tongs, remove the potatoes from the saucepan onto a chopping board. Carefully peel the skin off and discard it. (Using the help of tongs and gloves if necessary)

Making the dough:

• Once all the potatoes are peeled, roughly chop them up and mash it down using a potato masher or pass it through a ricer. There shouldn't be any lumps.
• Immediately spread it across the board to let the excess moisture evaporate. Let it sit for 5 minutes. *
• Sprinkle the parmesan, pepper powder and salt. Mix to bring it all together. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Next, add the egg and mix it thoroughly. Scraping it with a dough scraper whenever necessary.
• Finally, add the all-purpose flour and cut it through the potatoes using the scraper. Mix it ONLY until the dough comes together. Do not overwork it.*

Shaping into gnocchi:

• Divide the dough into 8 portions.
• Roll each portion into a thin long logs.
• Cut each log into 1.25-inch pieces using the dough scraper.
• Repeat until you've cut all the logs.
• At this point, you can cook the gnocchi or freeze them for later use!

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Notes:

• Keep an eye on the potatoes while it cooks to check for doneness. Alternatively, you can use Instant Pot to cook the potatoes. Go with PRESSURE COOK mode for 15 minutes. Quick Release and take out the potatoes. 
• Moisture: It is important to spread out the mashed potatoes on a counter or on a board. It helps with the excess moisture to escape. Too much moisture will need more flour, which in turn gives gummy gnocchi.
• Use a dough scraper to cut the flour into the potatoes or quickly use your hand to bring it together. DO NOT KNEAD unnecessarily. You don't want gluten formation.
• Shaping the gnocchi: I like to roll it really thin and cut it into 1.25-inch size. This saves me time and I cook it directly. Alternatively, you can cut them into 1-inch pieces and roll it across the back of a fork. 
• Storing gnocchi: Freeze the gnocchi in a single layer for an hour. Transfer to a Ziploc or any airtight container and keep it frozen for up to a month.
• Making Sage Butter Gnocchi: Heat some butter in a sauté pan, add dried or fresh sage, and add the cooked gnocchi directly from the boiling water. Sauté for a few minutes. Season as required.

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!