Pesto Potato Gnocchi

I love a simple gnocchi in pesto or a gorgonzola sauce, or sage and butter or a marinara sauce.

 Soft pillows, sauce and cheese!

You will need:

• 3 russet/baking potatoes
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 -1 cup flour (more for kneading/rolling)

Step 1: prick potatoes with fork on both sides and bake for approx 1 hour at 400 degrees F until soft.

Step 2: once potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel skins and rice in a potato ricer.

Step 3: Let potatoes cool.

Step 4: Make a well in the centre of the riced potatoes and add the eggs and salt.

Step 5:  start to gather the flour to the centre and gently incorporate until  you form a ball. Add more flour as necessary. Do not over work this dough or the gnocchi will be tough, however, you need to form a true dough or they will be too soft & just fall apart.This is a bit tricky and the more you make it the more you develop the feel for the dough. Hey, its a few eggs, some potatoes and some flour. If you screw it up it's an inexpensive experiment. Try it, that's how you learn.

Step 6: Cut the dough into two and it should have the inside texture of scooped ice cream.

Step 7: form long ropes and cut small pillows. A bit larger than width of your thumb.

Step 8: toss pillows in more flour and then use the back of a fork to press the centre of the ball and roll off. The goal is to have some ridges on one side and a slight indentation on the other side.

Step 9: place gnocchi on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Once frozen put into Ziploc bag

Step 10: take frozen gnocchi out of bag and try to shake off much of the flour that is in the bag by shaking in a strainer before putting them in a large pot of water at a rolling boil. Boil gnocchi just until they float.

Step 11: toss in store bought pesto or I had some homemade from last summer. When Basil is plentiful I make pesto and  then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. In this instance I let the frozen pesto come to room temp and toss the homemade pesto onto the hot gnocchi. You can also remove the gnocchi from the water and fry them in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes and then toss them in the pesto.

*If you want to cheat you can buy good store bought fresh gnocchi at an Italian Deli and it is easy to get good fresh store bought pestos in some markets. 

Step 12: plate the gnocchi and top with some grated Parmesano Reggiano.