Gnocchi

Unlike conventional methods I recommend BAKING the potatoes whole, with the skin on rather than steaming or boiling them, as both those methods allow the potato to retain their water levels whereas to get a good mixing consistency I have found baking them allows the potato to dry a little but remain light. Now in saying that the potatoes need to be baked on a wire rack or on a bed of salt because if you put the potatoes onto a tray they won’t bake evenly the potato will cook more on the side that is touching the metal tray.

 Once the potatoes are done, mash them into a puree or use a ricer. Add the flour, nutmeg, butter, salt and yolks. You need to use enough flour to make the dough pliable but not dry it out too much or it will break up in the water. There is no EXACT science, potato or recipe that can make perfect gnocchi every time because for some reason you can make gnocchi the same way 20 times but then the 21^st time it just doesn’t work. It becomes a lot more to do with the feel of the dough rather than an exact recipe.

 Knead the dough only lightly and roll it into even shaped/length logs. Cut the logs into say half inch pieces (whatever size you want, you can do larger) then flatten with the back of a fork.

 Poach lightly in some salted water for about 5 minutes, drain and toss through your sauce and serve.

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