I’ve had some people ask me how much work making gnocchi really is based upon a previous recipe I posted. (See: No Potato Spinach and Goat Cheese Gnocchi)  Well, here’s my recipe for from scratch, made with potato gnocchi. Notice it makes a large number of servings – that’s on purpose! Maybe if I was Italian, I wouldn’t mind the amount of time required to make these things. They sure are good though.

Gnocchi (12 servings)

3 pounds baking potatoes, like russets
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 extra large egg
Pinch salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Boil 6 quarts of water in a large stock pot.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle with the salt and all the flour. Crack the egg into the center of well and using a fork, incorporate the potatoes, salt, flour and egg. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch. (This is known as the well method).

Roll baseball-sized balls of dough into 3/4-inch diameter rods. With a knife, cut the rods into 1-inch long pieces. Lightly roll pieces off of the back end of a fork, or the concave side of cheese grater, until all the pieces are finished. Drop these finished pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute).  Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming rods, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them with a spider or skimmer and place them in a bowl with a 1/2-cup of canola, tossing to coat so they don’t stick together.

Gnocchi can be made up to 48 hours ahead. Before cooking the gnocchi, set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water. As the gnocchi cook and are floating in the boiling water, remove them with a spider or skimmer and place them into the to ice bath. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2-cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.

Serve with this Sauce

5 thin slices prosciutto di Parma, roughly sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano4 tablespoons butter
Gnocchi, recipe follows
5 thin slices prosciutto di Parma, roughly sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons

In a large saute pan heat the butter, add the cooked gnocchi tossing gently in the butter. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano tossing to combine, once the gnocchi are coated with the butter and cheese remove the pan from the heat and add the prosciutto tossing to combine. Finish the dish with a small dusting of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately.