Serves8 to 10 (first course)
- Active time:2 Hr
- Start to finish:3 hr
April 2009
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2
lb
potatoes
-
3 to 4 1/2
cups
all-purpose flour
-
1
large egg
-
Wine sauce
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Cover potatoes with cold water by 1 inch in a 4-qt saucepan and add 2 Tbsp salt, then simmer until tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and force through ricer into bowl of mixer. Add 3 cups flour and egg and mix at low speed until dough comes together in a ball, about 5 minutes.
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Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, about 5 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 30 minutes.
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Line several 4-sided sheet pans with wax paper and dust with flour. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Keeping remaining dough covered with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth), roll 1 portion into 1/2-inch-thick rope, dusting your hands with flour if dough is sticky. Cut rope crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then toss with flour to coat pieces completely.
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Hold a fork at a 45-degree angle, curved side down with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, making ridges on 1 side. Gnocchi will curl. Transfer to sheet pans.
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Cook gnocchi in batches in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until they float, then boil until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with some sauce as cooked.
Cooks’ note: Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen (first in 1 layer, then transferred to a sealable plastic bag) up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.
