Gnocchi...easy and delicious!

I LOVE gnocchi! But only the home made ones...store-bought varieties leave a lot to be desired! Fortunately they are easy to make and they freeze so well that there is really no reason to waste your money. This is a basic italian recipe, and adding grated cheeses or chopped herbs and spices can give you some great new flavours. A traditional meat sauce is perfect for gnocchi, but cream sauces and pestos work really well too. When I make a batch, I usually cook  half right away and freeze the rest, uncooked, in small ziplock bags (for single servings). When a gnocchi craving hits you all you have to do is drop them into boiling water and about 2 minutes later they are ready to enjoy!






Ingredients:
3 lbs  potatoes
2 cups flour + more for kneading
1 egg, ligthly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
(optional 1/2 cup grated parmesan)
1 tbsp butter


Directions:
-wash potatoes, place in a pot and cover with cold water to cover potatoes
-bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pricked with a fork
-drain and allow to cool for 5 minutes
-peel potatoes while still hot, transfer to a large bowl and immediately mash (or pass through a potato ricer and into a bowl)
-add flour, egg, salt and pepper and combine with a fork and then with your hands until a dough begins to form
-turn out onto a well floured surface and form a ball, cut it into 6 pieces
-take one piece and roll it out with your hands on a well floured surface to form a long rope of dough about 1" thick
-cut across it diagonally into 1" pieces to form gnocchi
-repeat with remaining dough
-at this point you can either cook the gnocchi right away or freeze them for future use
-if freezing lay out gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet and place in freezer for about 2 hrs, then transfer to a zip lock bag (will keep well for several months)
-to cook gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in fresh (or frozen) gnocchi in batches (do not crowd) and cook until  the gnocchi float to the surface (about 1-2 minutes)
-remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl with a tbsp of butter in it, cover and keep warm and repeat with remaining gnocchi


-serve immediately topped with your sauce of choice and a good grating of parmesan cheese


*meat sauce, pesto and cream sauces are perfect for gnocchi


*serves 8