Homemade Gnocchi

Homemade gnocchi are proper comfort food. They are quick to cook and very cheap to make. The process of this authentic dish is pretty easy, fun and therapeutic to do. After boiling, peeling and mashing the potatoes all you have left to do is make the gnocchi dough, shape the gnocchi and then boil them until they start floating in the water. Then simply toss them in a super quick butter and thyme sauce for an easy week night dinner.

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Serves: 4 

Ingredients
For the gnocchi:

• 1 kg of old or starchy potatoes 
• 1 whole medium egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 350g 00 flour plus extra for dusting
• 80g grated Grana Padano cheese (optional)  

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For the thyme & butter sauce:

• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 knobs of butter
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper
• Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

1. To make the gnocchi, start by washing the potatoes well then arrange them in a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Turn the heat up to high and from the moment the water starts boiling, boil for about 30-40 minutes, depending on their size. You know they are ready when you poke the potatoes with a fork and the tines enter without difficulty. Drain the potatoes and set them aside to cool down for 5 minutes. 
2. Place the flour onto a clean table surface and make a large well in the middle. While still hot, take the skin off the potatoes and rice them directly in the middle of the well.  Crack the egg in the middle, add a pinch of salt and grated cheese (if using). 
3. Using a fork, mix the ingredients together, start with the egg in the middle and working out towards the edges. Now using a bench scraper or spatula, start incorporating the flour from the sides and continue to mix it all together. Then go in with your hands, squeezing and kneading the mixture gently to bring it all together and create a nice soft dough. 
4. As soon as the dough comes together and there's no more flour, shape it into a round ball and stop working it. If you carry on kneading it will become quite sticky and you'll end up adding more and more flour. 
5. Dust the worktable and the dough and with flour and cut the dough into four equal parts. Gently roll each piece into a one to two centimetres rope. If it's getting too long and hard to shape, cut it in half again and work with one rope at the time. Dusting the table with more flour as you work, cut each rope into into small pieces about two centimetres thick.  This is your gnocchi. 
6. If you want, you can keep the gnocchi just like this or you can form their iconic shape by rolling each one down the gnocchi board, using your thumb to press gently, creating ridges on one side and a dimple on the other. If you don't have a gnocchetti board, you can use the back of a fork to achieve a similar shape. Or you can just roll them into small balls and poke them in the centre with your finger to create a dent that will hold the sauce nicely. Once they're all shaped, gently transfer them on a board or tray and leave them aside for later.
7. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi. In the meantime pick the thyme from the stalks and add it to an hot pan with the butter. Once the butter is melted, add a ladle of the starchy water from the gnocchi cooking water to create a sauce. 
8. At this point your gnocchi should be ready and floating on top of the water - transfer them straight into the pan and toss them well until you get a nice creamy sauce from the butter and the starchy water.
9. Ground some black pepper in and toss again with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top with a final drizzle of olive oil. 

Watch the recipe video

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