Gnocchi

Recipe Courtesy of Mario Batali

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (24)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(24)

Cook Time:
--
Level:
Easy
Yield:
12 servings of gnocchi

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Ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Gnocchi
Dagmara Clearwater, FL 03-14-2010
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As a professional chef I use this recipe all the time. Perfect and you can seasone it with anything.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Tip: Use idaho potatoes
recipe Gnocchi
Jessica Saint Albans, WV 03-01-2010
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Tips
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

Here are the things my Italian grandmother taught me about gnocchi: As little moisture as possible in the potatoes lets you... use less flour, which keeps them light. To reduce the moisture, use old potatoes. Store them in a cool, dark place. Be sure to keep the eyes knocked off. When they get a little wrinkly they're ready. Bake, don't boil. Rice while hot, moving ricer over a sheet pan to form a thin layer (allows steam to escape) and allow to cool. (If you mash, you are compacting the starch making a dense product.) Only use COOL potatoes so they absorb less flour and don't make the flour gummy. Don't overmix or overhandle. Be flexible with your flour and egg ratios. Get a "feel" for the dough and adjust as needed. They are delicious and worth a few tries to master. Once you do, it'll be a go-to dish. Make plenty when you make them and freeze (raw) in a single layer on a sheet pan them transfer to a ziploc bag. Cook just like fresh!Read more
recipe Gnocchi
David Ridgefield, WA 01-26-2010
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Yukon Golds!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Peeled and quartered 3 medium Yukon Golds and boiled. Put through food mill / sieve. Took more flour and water than I... thought to get the right consistency. First "rope" must have been too big as my gnocchi were jumbos! Beautiful color with the Yukon Golds. Made before and got the right fork impression, but not this time. Saw how in Sardinia they are flattened against a hash marked surface. Wish there was more info on how to roll them off the fork. Delicious!Read more
recipe Gnocchi
NIcole Hudson, NY 11-16-2009
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potato cooking
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Some people may be having trouble because they are not cooking the potatos properly. All potatoes are different sizes and... types and cooking times will vary. Always start with cold water when boiling potatoes. Leave the skins on for best results and boil until a fork can just penatrate the potato. A little hard is better than overcooking. Use an oven mitt and peel the potatoes right away while still hot and put them through a ricer. Lay them out on a sheet pan to cool. Then follow the recipe keeping in mind that each person will need a slightly different amount of flour. Don't use too much or you'll be making lead balls.Read more
recipe Gnocchi
Jeanne Villas, NJ 08-19-2009
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Best Gnocchi Ever!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I wanted to recreate the Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup for my daughters who really like it. We don't live close... enough to go there very often and I wanted to treat them. I knew my home made cream of chicken soup would do well as a base with a few additions, but the gnocchi was my problem area. I make my own pasta, but my recipe for gnocchi just didn't taste as good as I'd have liked, and it was heavy and doughy, so I searched Foodnetwork.com and found Mario's recipe. Having cooked many of his recipes with great success, I was confident his would be best. And it was!! The gnocchi were light, airy, delicious and easy to make. I did bake the potatoes instead of boiling, hoping for a drier consistency, and they worked very well into the dough. My other recipe called for boiled and I think that's one of the reasons the grocchi were doughy- the wet potatoes took too much flour to form properly. And in case anyone is wondering, I didn't use a potato ricer - I just mashed with my hand masher. The recipe made more than I needed, so I froze the extra (after cooking and cooling down) and look forward to having them in a butter garlic sauce sometime in the future. They are that good! Those people who complained about the finished product messed up somewhere, I'm sure. Gracia, Mario!Read more
recipe Gnocchi
Yo dallas, TX 08-16-2009
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Works everytime!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The only difference I did to the recipe was first I baked the potatoes (it is very important to get the moisture correct and... that should be 'just the right amount' of moisture) and I added a teaspoon of double acting baking powder (this will add a bit of lightness to the pillows, cheating sure but it works). I see comments below such as "followed the recipe to a T", "very experienced in the kitchen", and then a ridiculous comparison of recipes ratios. First, an experienced cook does not make pasta (or bread for that matter) by following a recipe 'to the T'. It is all about the moisture. If you boil the potatoes, let them set out and the steam evaporate until they are completely dry to the touch, not like Travis did and peel them and then let them cool. Baking them in the oven does the same thing, but takes longer. I just like the flavor the baked potato gives the gnocchi vs boiling. Following E's suggestion to add more flour is a valid suggestion, but it only changes the recipe taste. You will still have the same problem if your moisture is not correct. Finally, comments were made below about being careful with the dough, and that is very correct. Overworking the dough can make it tough. Also, while you don't want to over handle the dough (making it warm), it should not break down and putting it in the refrigerator will not keep it from breaking up during cooking if the moisture is not kept in check.Read more