Recipe: Potato Gnocchi (freeze ahead, The Joy of Cooking)

POTATO GNOCCHI

"Gnocchi are a pasta for potato lovers and well worth the time and effort invested in baking the potatoes and making and shaping the dough. Make them ahead for a special occasion and bring them out of the freezer just before the guests arrive. For Italians, these chewy bite-sized dumplings are always served as a pasta, cooked and sauced in the same way and eaten as a first course or as a one-dish meal."

2 pounds baking potatoes
1 1/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided use
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter, melted (or olive oil)
FOR SERVING:
Additional melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese, a tomato sauce or ragu, or pesto sauce.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub the potatoes well. Prick each potato in a dozen places with a fork.

Bake potatoes directly on an oven rack until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. While the potatoes are still hot, split them lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Push it through a potato ricer or force through a sieve with the back of a spoon. There should be about 2 2/3 packed cups.

Combine the potatoes in a bowl with 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, salt and nutmeg. Stir vigorously, then turn out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and blended.

Bring 3- to 4-inches of well-salted water to a simmer in a large pot.

Roll about 2 tablespoons of the dough into a cylinder 3/4-inch wide. Cut it into pieces 3/4-inch long. Roll each piece against the tines of a fork. Drop the gnocchi into the simmering water and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. They should hold a firm shape and be chewy to the bite.

If they turn out slimy and soft, knead the remaining 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour into the dough, then test again.

When the dough is right, roll it into 3 or 4 ropes 3/4-inch wide, cut the ropes into 3/4-inch pieces, and form the pieces as gnocchi.

Drop one-third to one-half of the gnocchi into the pot and simmer, uncovered, until they float, then remove with a slotted spoon or skimmer to a wide bowl.

Drizzle some of the melted butter or olive oil over the gnocchi. Toss to coat. Repeat until all the gnocchi are done.

Serve at once with additional melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese, a tomato sauce or ragu, or pesto sauce.

TO MAKE GNOCCHI AHEAD:
Spread the uncooked gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 12 hours. To keep them longer, freeze the gnocchi on the baking sheet until hard, then remove to a freezer bag or container. Gnocchi will keep frozen for up to 1 month. Cook directly from the freezer, adding about 1 minute to the cooking time.

Makes about 80 pieces, 4 to 6 servings
Adapted from source: Joy of Cooking: All About Pasta and Noodles by Irma S. Rombauer, Ethan Becker, Marion Rombauer Becker