Aka Potato pillows. ‘Nuff said.
Yields: 6 servings
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 15 minutes
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
1 cups all-purpose flour (made need more depending on the moisture of the dough)
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper, to taste
Parsley (optional), for garnish
Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft, about 45 minutes. While still warm, peel and finely mash the potatoes.
Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. In a large bowl, set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water.
Make a well in the center of the mashed potatoes and add in the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is almost dry to touch.
Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to an ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the butter before adding in the garlic, let the garlic get lightly brown before adding in gnocchi. Using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi to the butter and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high medium-heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the parmesan and parsley and serve.