Potato Gnocchi

Okay...so in my previous entry, I mentioned how ricotta gnocchi was my favorite one to eat, but as of now, my favorite one that I like to make at home is the potato gnocchi.

The reason why I like making these dumplings is that potatoes are always easy to get  a hold of (they are usually always in the pantry of things compared to ricotta and semolina).

With that said, here are some helpful info and tips when making potato gnocchi.

1. Pick the right kind of Potato- Potatoes that are fluffy such as the russet. 
2. Rice your potatoes rather than mash them- This gives them that light airy quality.
3. Let your potatoes steam off after riceing- this allows excess moisture to leave the potatoes 
3. Don't over work or over flour your gnocchi-excessive kneading and flour will hinder outcome.
4. Decide on a method- Egg less Gnocchi Vs. Gnocchi recipe with egg- Mario Batali has a Recipie with egg and other chefs prefer no egg at all.

Egg-Less Potato Gnocchi - By Chef Joey Campanaro (Starchefs.com)

With Egg Potato Gnocchi - By Chef Mario Batali (Food Network)

Both of the recipes above come from good sources, but if you have a difficult time getting that really "airy and light" quality to your gnocchi, I would try the egg-less version.

After tasting the egg less one, I think it gives us a better idea what it means when gnocchi is light and airy, compared to dense and heavy.


here is a video that gives a general idea about how to make them....the guy seems a little messy, but you'll get the idea after you watch it. I like potato gnocchi the classic way with sage and brown butter, but he uses a cream/cheese sauce. Look at the video as a visual aide...the recipes above are best in my opinion.

Visual Aide for Potato Gnocchi

Good Luck!