Serves 6
Notes
When they were little, I’d always have my kids and grandkids help me with making gnocchi (I did the same thing as a small child). They loved rolling out the dough—it’s like playing with Play-Doh—and their small fingers are perfect for rolling the gnocchi off the fork to give them the perfect shape for sauce to adhere to. Gnocchi are much simpler to make than most people think; once you have the knack, you will be making them often.
So read my instructions well! The two crucial steps are: first, after ricing the potatoes, spread them out and let them cool completely, and, second, do not overwork the dough. This dough is different from regular pasta dough, which you have to knead to develop the gluten. In making gnocchi, all you need is to mix the potatoes, eggs, and flour until everything is amalgamated. Too much kneading will require more flour and will make the gnocchi stodgy and heavy. In shaping them, you will need more flour so they do not stick; keep on sprinkling flour on the work surface and on your hands, shaping the gnocchi quickly without overworking them.
Ingredients
- for the gnocchi
- 3 large russet potatoes, peel left on
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- for the sauce
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs, hard-boiled, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino
Directions
For the gnocchi: Put the potatoes in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a simmer, and cook until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, and let cool just until you can handle them; then peel them and press them through a potato ricer into an even layer on your countertop. Sprinkle the salt over them evenly. Let them cool.
When the potatoes have cooled, form them into a mound with a small well in the center. Add the egg. Work the egg into the potatoes with a fork; then gradually work in the 2 cups flour, switching to your hands when the dough becomes workable. Continue to knead the dough, dusting with flour as needed, until the dough comes together in a cohesive mass. (If you cut through the dough, the interior will look like a cross section of cookie dough.)
Dust your work surface and two baking sheets with flour. Divide the dough into six pieces, keeping all the pieces you’re not working on covered with a cloth as you go. Roll one piece of dough into a 1/2-inch rope on the floured counter, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll the pieces into rough balls, then roll them down along the curved tines of a fork with your thumb to create ridges on one side and a concave depression on the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
To make the salsa di Erice: Combine the basil, almonds, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in a mini–food processor, and pulse to make a paste. With the processor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream to make a smooth pesto. Transfer to a serving bowl, and fold in the chopped egg.
Shake the excess flour from the gnocchi, and add them to the boiling water. Cook until they’re tender—2 to 4 minutes after they begin to float, depending on how large you’ve made them. Remove them with a spider strainer to a serving bowl. Ladle in about 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water. Sprinkle with the pecorino, toss well to coat, and serve, adding a little more pasta water if the sauce still seems dry.
