Potato Gnocchi

I love potato gnocchi! It's kinda a miracle marriage between potatoes and pasta, two things I could eat all the time.  I'd tried to make a sweet potato gnocchi once and it went horribly.  The dough fell apart and it took forever and was inedible.  So it's been quite a few years since I wanted to attempt it again.  But this recipe, from Food Network, is awesome.  It's light and fluffy and delicious to pair with a sage butter sauce or tomato sauce.  I made the latter, with lots of fresh basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella.  Paired the dinner with a caprese salad.

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. russet potatoes, roasted and peeled
• 3 to 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated pepper
• 1 c. all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Pass the potato through a ricer or food mill in a large bowl
2. Make a mound of the potato with a well in the middle.  Add 3 of the eggs, nutmet, parmesan, salt and pepper into the mound.  Mix well with your hands.
3. Sprinkle 1/2 c. of flour over potato mixture and fold and press together with your knuckles.  Add more flour little by little and press together until the dough just forms together.  Don't knead.  Dough should feel firm, but yield under slight pressure.  Add more egg yolk if dough seems to dry. Divide the dough into fourths.
4. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to roll out a piece of dough into a rope with a 1/2 inch diameter.  Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces, flouring each piece as you go.
5. Impress ridges into each piece by rolling down the backside of a fork with gentle pressure.
6. Let cool in the fridge on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.
7. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 60 seconds from the time the rise to the surface.  Scoop out with a skimmer and shake out any excess water.
8. Enjoy with the sauce of your choice!