Go Go Gadget, Gnocchi Board

I got a new kitchen toy. A gnocchi board, so I can put those great little ridges in my gnocchi. True, a fork can be used, but I seem to have trouble with that. You can also press and flick, but I end up with gnocchi flipped all over the kitchen. So in the interest of flying gnocchi prevention and facilitating sauce retention, I now roll my gnocchi with my palm across a gnocchi board.

And they end up looking like this:

Instead of being all smashed, taking up residence in the sink, flattened against my kitchen wall or worse... Squashed on the kitchen floor then quickly devoured by my little canine child, Otto, who loves anything made with potato... Like some sort of hovering Potato Piranha.

I need to shout out a big thank you to my BakeSpace buddy Joy and her fantastic potato gnocchi recipe. I DID take a couple of liberties with it, but more from a convenience standpoint that anything else. Since it was late and I didn't really have time to boil potatoes I decided to use the baked ones in my refrigerator that were previously slated for hash browns. And while I am almost certain that they were looking forward to fulfilling their destiny as said hash browns, a close encounter with a potato ricer convinced them otherwise.

1 1/2 lbs riced potato (Whether baked or boiled; its your choice)
2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 TB unsalted butter; melted
1 egg; lightly beaten with the egg yolk
1 egg yolk; lightly beaten with the egg
1/8 tsp White Pepper; finely ground
1/8 tsp Nutmeg or Mace; ground
1 cup + Bread flour (You may need a little more than a cup, depending on how wet your potatoes are)

Place riced potatoes in a pile on a pasta board (or your cutting board)
Make a well, just like with pasta.
Add egg, melted butter, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of Bread flour.
Begin kneading ingredients together into a mass, adding more flour 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed.
If the dough seems REALLY sticky after the 1st cup is added, add more flour 2 TB at a time.
The dough will still be just a little sticky just not overly so....
Divide in to 8 pieces.
Re-flour the board as well as your hands, and roll a rope about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.
Slice the rope into 3/4 inch pieces.
Take each piece and gently roll across the gnocchi board with your palm and onto a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet.
I came out with 110 gnocchi.
Either freeze them on the sheet pan, then move them to a freezer bag (Which I did with 3/4 of them)
or drop into salted boiling water and cook until they float.

What about tossables you ask?

I am a big fan of pesto as well as a simple browned butter and some walnuts.
Tonight though, I browned 2 TB of butter with about 2 tsp of Pine Nuts and added about 1 TB creme fraiche and some basil chiffonade and Voila!


Mangia!!
~~