Good gnocchi should be light and fluffy and there are three important rules to the perfect gnocchi.
Don’t let the potato get wet. The best way to do this is to avoid boiling the potatoes and bake them in a hot oven instead. This will ensure that the flesh is light and fluffy from the outset.
Don’t let the dough cool while you are working with it. Prepare all your ingredients before you take the baked potatoes out of the oven. This will keep the dough warm until you have finished.
The third and final rule is to avoid over working the mixture. If you over work the mixture the gluten in the flour and the potato will give you a stiff and resistant dough and ultimately a dense gnocchi. If you stick to these rules, the gnocchi will be soft, gentle and most importantly, light.
You can be as creative as you like with the accompanying sauce, but I advocate the principle of less is more.
300g or about 2 large floury or starchy potatoes
80g ricotta cheese
80g plain flour
1 egg
Sea salt
100g semolina flour
Pre heat the oven to 200°C and bake the potatoes in their skin for 60-90 minutes, depending on their size. Test the potato with a skewer to make sure they are cooked.
Cut each potato in half. Use a clean tea-towel to hold the potato and scoop the soft flesh out of the skin. Press the flesh through a drum-sieve or potato ricer into a large mixing bowl. Discard the skins.
Into the bowl with the potato, add the flour, ricotta and egg. Gently mix the ingredients through until the dough is just combined. It is important at this stage to not over work the mixture.
Remove the mixture and divide it into four equal parts. Keep the remaining quantities warm with foil or a clean towel.
Roll one quantity with clean hands until you have long slender sausage or tubular shape roughly 1.5 to 2cm in diameter. Roll the remaining quantities into the same shape.
Use a knife to cut the dough in to small pieces roughly about 1.5-2cm in length.
Gently toss the pieces in semolina flour to prevent them from sticking to each other. You can roll each piece down the length of a gnocchi paddle if you want the classic ridged edges, or you can use a fork to press the edges. I find these methods a little fiddly, instead I like press my finger into one edge.
Set the gnocchi aside until you are ready to cook them.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the gnocchi to the water. They will sink to the bottom but after a few minutes they will float to the surface. When they are all bobbing about the top, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. Do not keep them in the water or they will break up, become soggy and you will end up with bowl of mash.
