Basic potato gnocchi

Basic potato gnocchi

Ingredients (serves 4)
1.5kg small even-sized desiree potatoes
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper
200g (1 1/3 cups) plain flour
Extra plain flour, to dust
Melted butter, to grease

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a large roasting pan. Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a skewer. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Put on rubber gloves if they are too hot to handle, and use a small knife to peel the potatoes. (Warm potatoes make the smoothest mash.)
Place the peeled potatoes in a large bowl. Add the salt and season with pepper, then use a potato masher to mash until the mixture is as smooth as possible (this will probably take up to 5 minutes). Mashing the potatoes manually is best, as a food processor makes them "gluey".
Add the flour and use your hands to mix to a stiff, slightly sticky dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Take care not to overwork the dough or it will become too sticky. The key to light gnocchi is using just enough flour, so if you have to add more to your dough, you'll end up with heavier gnocchi. If you find you have overworked your dough, add a small amount of extra flour at a time until it returns to the desired consistency (ie stiff, slightly sticky and leaving the side of the bowl).
Cut the dough into 4 even portions. Roll 1 portion on a lightly floured surface into a long sausage about 2cm thick. Use a lightly floured knife to cut the dough into 2cm pieces. You can cut the dough diagonally to give the gnocchi a more attractive shape or shape the gnocchi using the traditional Italian method (see step 5), if you like. Place on a large tray, board or bench lined with a lightly floured tea towel, making sure the gnocchi don't touch each other. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough. The gnocchi are best cooked within 2 hours of making. If you are not cooking them immediately, sprinkle the gnocchi lightly with flour and set aside at room temperature, covered with a tea towel, for up to 2 hours.
To make your gnocchi more decorative and help them to "hold" the sauce, finish in the traditional Italian manner. To do this, lightly flour your hands and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Use your thumb to gently roll each ball over the back of a floured fork.
Preheat oven to 120°C. A large, shallow saucepan is best for cooking gnocchi - you can use 2 pans for a faster result. Fill the pan with water to a depth of about 5cm. Cover and bring to the boil. Brush a serving dish or plates lightly with melted butter and place in the oven to keep warm. Cook about 1/4 of the gnocchi at a time. This depends on the pan size - the gnocchi should sit in a single layer on the base of the pan (they may stick together if overcrowded) . If your pan is small, you may need to do 6-8 batches. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and use a large skimmer or slotted spoon to remove them when they all rise to the surface. Allow excess water to drip off, then transfer to the warmed serving dish or plates. Cover loosely with foil and return to oven. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. Pour the sauce you are using over the gnocchi, and serve immediately.

Notes & tips
serves: 4 generous mains or 8 entrees prep: 1 1/4 hours (+ 10 mins cooling time)
variations (based on the basic potato gnocchi recipe):
orange sweet potato gnocchi: replace 1kg of the potatoes with 1kg orange sweet potato (kumara), cut into 5cm chunks. Increase the plain flour to 300g (2 cups). Add a good pinch of nutmeg to the potatoes with the salt and pepper in step 2. Serve with the burnt butter sauce.
cheese gnocchi: add 85g (1 1/2 cups) finely grated vintage cheddar to potatoes with salt and pepper in step 2. Suits both sauces.
parmesan & silverbeet gnocchi: increase the flour to 250g (1 2/3 cups). Add 70g (1 cup) finely grated parmesan to potatoes with the salt and pepper in step 2. Trim the stems from 1/2 bunch (about 9 stems, 420g) silverbeet, then wash the leaves well and place in a large frying pan. Cook over high heat, turning often, for 4-5 minutes or until they wilt and the pan is dry. Drain. Place between 2 double layers of paper towel and press out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a board and finely chop. Add to the mashed potato with the flour in step 3. Suits both sauces.
quick sauces for gnocchi:
tomato sauce: heat one tbs olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped brown onion and cook, stirring often, for 3-5 mins or until soft. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in a 400g can Italian diced tomatoes, 125 (1/2 cup) water and 1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncoved, stirring occaisionally, for 15 mins or until it thickens. Stir in 2tsp balsamic vinegar and season with ground black pepper. Serve chunky, or process until smooth and reheat. Spoon over gnocchi and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and parmesan shavings.
burnt butter sauce: heat 75g butter in a medium frying pan over a high heat until it begins to brown. Remove from heat and swirl pan until the butter is evenly coloured. Pour over the cooked gnocchi immediately and sprinkle with salt, ground black pepper and parmesan shavings.
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