Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

3 lb russet potatoes, skin on and scrubbed clean, pricked all over with a fork

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

¾ cup plus 2 Tl all-purpose flour, sifted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 ° Place the potatoes directly on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

While the potatoes are still hot, using a kitchen towel, slice open the potatoes and scoop out their insides, discarding the skins; you want about 1 lb 5 oz or (600g). Use a potato ricer to finely mash the potato directly onto a clean work surface. Lightly spread the potato out so it’s not all in one pile and sprinkle evenly with the egg yolks, followed by the flour and ½ tsp salt. Use a pastry cutter or bench scraper to cut into the mixture, chopping repeatedly to evenly distribute everything.

Use your fingers to gather everything together into a ball (don’t knead the mixture at all).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly dust with flour; set aside. Clean work surface, and lightly dust with flour. Divide dough evenly into 4 pieces, about 5 1/4 ounces each. Roll 1 dough piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, about 10-12 inches long. Cut rope crosswise into 3/4-inch-long gnocchi pieces. Roll each piece against tines of a fork to make ridges; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 3 dough pieces.

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil on a medium-high heat. Add about 12 gnocchi at a time for 1-2 minutes, or until gnocchi float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzling with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Continue this way until you’ve cooked all the gnocchi, 4-5 batches.

Add 1 Tbl of the oil to a skillet and place on medium high heat. Add a third of the gnocchi and cook for 4 minutes, until golden all over. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and continue on this way, adding ½ Tbl of oil and a third of the gnocchi each time.