Food Network: Potato Gnocchi

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Potato Gnocchi
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound russet potatoes
3 to 4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon gray salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting board and dough

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes on top (see Cook's Note).
Bake until a bit overcooked, about 45 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and
scoop out the flesh. Reserve the potato skins, if desired, for another use.

Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or grate them on the large holes of a box grater. You
should have about 2 cups. Make a mound of potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle, add 3
of the egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes and mix well with hands.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the
potatoes. Fold the mass over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by
little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together, (try not to knead it.) Work any
dough clinging to your fingers back into the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk
or a little water. The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. To
test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a
well-floured board into a rope 1/2-inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If
not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.

Keeping your work surface and the dough lightly floured, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each
piece into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces. Lightly flour the
gnocchi as you cut them. You can cook these as is or form them into the classic gnocchi shape with a
gnocchi board, ridged butter paddle, or the tines of a large fork turned upside down. Rest the
bottom edge of the gnocchi board on the work surface, then tilt it at about a 45 degree angle. Take

each piece and squish it lightly with your thumb against the board while simultaneously pushing it
away from you. It will roll away and around your thumb, taking on a cupped shape -- with ridges on
the outer curve from the board and a smooth surface on the inner curve where your thumb was.
(Shaping them takes some time and dexterity. You might make a batch just for practice.) The
indentation holds the sauce and helps gnocchi cook faster.

As you shape the gnocchi, dust them lightly with flour and scatter them on baking sheets lined with
parchment paper or waxed paper. Set gnocchi filled cookie sheet in front of a fan on low for 1/2
hour (turning gnocchi after 15 minutes). If you will not cook the gnocchi until the next day or
later, freeze them. Alternatively, you can poach them now, drain and toss with a little olive oil,
let cool, then refrigerate several hours or overnight. To reheat, dip in hot water for 10 to 15
seconds, then toss with browned butter until hot.

When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook
for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a
skimmer, shake off the excess water, and serve as desired.

Cook's Note: Baking potatoes on a layer of salt allows heat to circulate 360 degrees. Scrape the

salt into a jar and reuse it again and again. If you do not have time to shape the gnocchi, you can
freeze the dough, defrost it in the refrigerator, and then shape it. To freeze shaped gnocchi, line
baking sheets with waxed paper and dust with flour. Spread the gnocchi on the prepared sheets and
freeze until hard. Remove to individual-portion-size freezer bags. Store in the freezer for up to 1
month. To cook, drop the frozen gnocchi into boiling salted water. Cook for about 2 minutes after
they rise to the surface.