Grandma's Italian Gnocchi

There’s nothing like homemade gnocchi, and this is the real, heirloom thing: pillowy potato dumplings made the way an Italian grandmother would. Just potatoes, egg, flour, and salt become tender little pillows that put store-bought to shame.

The secret to light gnocchi instead of gummy ones is restraint with the flour. Rice the hot potatoes so they stay dry and fluffy, then add only as much flour as you need to bring the dough together without it sticking. Too much flour makes them dense.

Handle the dough gently and minimally, just enough to form it, so it doesn’t toughen.

Roll the dough into ropes, cut into pieces, then roll each against a grater or fork and press a thumb dimple, the classic grooves that grab onto sauce. They cook fast: drop them in boiling salted water and the moment they bob to the surface, they’re done. Toss with the pasta sauce of your choice.

Chef Tips

• Rice the potatoes while hot and use as little flour as possible for light, tender gnocchi.
• Boil the potatoes in their skins so they don’t soak up extra water and turn the dough gluey.
• Don’t overwork the dough; handle it just enough to come together, or the gnocchi turn tough.
• Pull them the instant they float to the top, since overcooking makes them mushy.

Variations

• Toss with brown butter and sage, marinara, or a hearty meat ragu.
• Make ahead and freeze the raw gnocchi on a tray, then boil from frozen.
• Add a little grated Parmesan or nutmeg to the dough.