Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Herbs Recipe

Prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Stab each potato with a fork multiple times and place them on a sheet pan.

Drizzle a little bit of canola oil over the potatoes and bake until fork-tender, about 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the potatoes. (See notes 1.)

Once the potatoes are done, use a paring knife to immediately peel the skin.

Pass the skinless potato through a food mill, ricer or fine mesh strainer. Cool slightly.

Prepare the gnocchi dough. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. On a floured work surface, form a large mound with the prepared potatoes. 

Put a generous pinch of salt onto the potato and create an indentation in the center of potato mound, like a volcano. Place the egg yolks in the indentation.

Top with two tablespoons of flour.

Begin to knead the dough together, only add more flour as needed to keep the dough from becoming too wet. The ratio should be more potato than flour.

Bring the dough together into a ball and knead for about 5 minutes, going back and forth. If it sticks to the counter, add a touch more flour underneath. The dough ball should be beige with a small tint of yellow. Once the dough comes together, cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Shape the gnocchi. Divide the dough into two to three manageable pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. 

Roll out a dough ball with both hands into a long rope that is about ½ inch in diameter.

Use a floured bench scraper or butter knife to cut each rope into ½ inch pieces.

Roll each piece into little balls and then run the back of a fork across each ball to create the grooves. Make sure to keep gnocchi slightly floured. (See notes 2.)

Cook the gnocchi. Place the potato gnocchi into the boiling salted water. The gnocchi is done when it floats, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and shake off excess water and place onto a sheet pan.

Heat a non-stick saute pan until hot. Add one tablespoon of canola oil and the drained gnocchi in a single layer making sure each gnocco is separated. Let cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute then sauté until golden brown.

Finish by tossing the gnocchi with one tablespoon of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Garnish with minced parsley for color. Enjoy!