Potato Gnocchi

This recipe is one of the few good things to come out of Facebook. Our little gnocchi lover (Maxim) absolutely loved these, so they passed the test. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb russet potatoes (do not substitute)
2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Wash potatoes, place them directly on the oven rack, and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour until tender. Peel potatoes and use a potato masher or ricer to break them up. Do not beat them as this will cause the gluten and startch to change the consistency.

Place mashed potatoes and 1 cup of flour on a work surface. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle egg mixture on top. Using a scraper or flat-sided spatula, start working the mixture into a loose dough. Continue adding flour until the second cup has been added and the dough is able to be rolled into a ball. Do not overwork the dough or the gnocchi will become dense. You want them light.

When the dough can be handled, cut into small sections and roll into a snake about 3/4 inches thick. Using a sharp knife or scraper, cut into small nuggets. Place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes until the gnocchi rise to the top of the water.

Drain and serve with desired sauce.

Notes:

This is well worth the work, but it is very messy. Just be prepared for it. Freeze them on a cookie sheet so they don't squish together. Once they are frozen you can put them in a Ziploc bag. Even boiling them from frozen doesn't take long at all.