Let’s get our hands on it! Here’s how to make potato gnocchi

Good, soft, perfect to dress in many ways and ideal for any occasion: here’s how to make homemade potato gnocchi!

Potato gnocchi are a very popular and well-known food and are prepared in many countries of the world in many different ways, just think of the “spatzle” which in Northern Europe are used as a side dish. In Italy the most common are those of potatoes whose origins date back to the Renaissance, first appeared in Lombardy then spread to all Regions.

Preparing perfect homemade gnocchi is always a matter of dexterity, delicacy, foresight in choosing the ingredients well, and above all, in balancing them perfectly! In short, if you want to know all the secrets to make them perfectly, you are in the right place. Arm yourself with good will and follow us in the kitchen: your friends and relatives will surely be delighted!

Preparation of potato dumplings

Think that this dish even has a National Day of its own, which is celebrated on November 18th ! Here is the recipe for potato gnocchi!

1. Start washing the potatoes without peeling them , put them in a large saucepan with plenty of salted water and boil them for about 30-40 minutes until the pulp is very tender.

2. Take them out, peel them and mash them in a potato masher. For a good result, these operations must be done with the potatoes still hot.

3. Then put the mashed potatoes on a floured work surface, add the salt and add part of the sifted flour starting to knead quickly, then adding the egg and the remaining flour little by little, until the dough is it will stick more to the hands.

4. Everything must be done quickly, to prevent the mixture from becoming sticky during cooking. If it is sticky, add flour, otherwise you may need less than indicated.

5. Once you have finished mixing the potato gnocchi, form many cylindrical loaves with a thickness of 1-2 cm and cut them into pieces about 2-3 cm long. If you do not have the traditional machine for scratching the gnocchi, pass them on the prongs of a fork or on the back of a grater, pressing lightly to form the classic reliefs in the pasta, which will serve to make the sauce better take.

6. Let them rest on a floured tray without touching each other for about 15 minutes, then dip them a little at a time into a pot with plenty of boiling salted water and drain when they come to the surface .

If you liked the potato gnocchi recipe, check out the video of the preparation .

The dressing of gnocchi: ideas and suggestions

Now that your dumplings are ready, you just have to dress them with the sauce of your choice. Of course, you can never go wrong with a good tomato sauce, but there are also many other traditional sauces, such as pesto, walnut sauce or, or a classic plate of gnocchi alla Sorrentina.

Another fabulous dish is that of gnocchi with gorgonzola, or in its more complex variant, gnocchi with four cheeses, which are prepared by making a delicious fondue of gorgonzola, toma, fontina, parmesan and cream, all with a pinch of pepper and of nutmeg. In general, remember to leave the sauce slow, because once you go to stir the dish the gnocchi will begin to absorb the sauce!

But if you want to try other recipes with potato gnocchi, here is one that will surprise you : gnocchi with cod sauce, a gourmet dish that will make you crazy. Enjoy your meal!

Tricks and secrets for the perfect dumplings!

– You can also keep the gnocchi by freezing them in the freezer , perhaps inside a food bag. The beauty is that to cook them you will not need to defrost them , but you can throw them directly into the water.

– If you want, you can add some ingredients to the dough to make the gnocchi more colorful . Even just spices are enough, such as saffron, turmeric, or why not, squid ink!

– What are the potatoes for gnocchi? For a perfect result, as we said, they do not depend so much on the use of yellow, white or other potatoes. The important thing is that they are slightly aged potatoes: this is because as they age, the potatoes become rich in starch and poor in water. This will make the dough easier to make.

– If you want to prepare potato gnocchi without eggs, the doses are 300 g of flour for every kg of potatoes. Knead quickly and with the potatoes still hot, add a pinch of salt and that’s it, your egg-free gnocchi are ready!

Do you love this ingredient? Then our potato recipes are for you!

storage

The seasoned gnocchi can be kept in the fridge, in a container, for 2/3 days . Raw, on the other hand, they should be kept well laid out on a tray for no more than a day. However, you can also freeze them raw.