Simon Gault’s Light, Pillowy Gnocchi

Servings 4

Prep time 30 mins

If you’ve ever made gnocchi that turned out dense, heavy or like little rubber bullets, this potato gnocchi recipe is for you.

I’m using Agria potatoes, which are a great New Zealand option because they’re floury, high in starch and perfect for light, pillowy gnocchi. The key is baking the potatoes rather than boiling them, letting the steam escape, and handling the dough with a light hand.

This is a practical potato gnocchi recipe for home cooks who want soft, delicate gnocchi without overcomplicating things.

Ingredients
500 g riced potato flesh, passed through a potato ricer from baked Agria potatoes and weighed after ricing
150 g Caputo Pasta Fresca e Gnocchi flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 egg yolk
5 g Murray River salt flakes, ground to a fine texture

Method
Heat the oven to 200°C. Bake the Agria potatoes whole, skin on, for 60 to 70 minutes, or until completely tender when pierced all the way through.

While still warm, pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl. Weigh the riced potato flesh and ensure you have 500g.

Tip the riced potato onto a clean bench or tray and spread it out briefly so excess steam can escape, about two-three minutes.

Transfer the potato back into a bowl. Add the ground Murray River salt, 130 g of the flour, and the egg yolk.

Bring it together gently with your hands or a dough scraper until it starts to form a soft dough. Add some or all of the remaining 20 g flour only if needed. The dough should feel soft and lightly tacky, not wet. Do not knead it like bread.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured bench, roll each piece into a rope about 2 cm thick.

Cut into 2-2.5cm pieces. Leave them as little pillows, or roll each one gently over a gnocchi board or the back of a fork with your thumb to create ridges and a slight hollow.
Place the shaped gnocchi on a lightly floured tray in a single layer.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches. Once they float, cook for a further 30 to 60 seconds, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.

Simon Says
Use floury potatoes like Agria. More starch, less water, better gnocchi. If you’re outside New Zealand, use a dry, floury potato like Russet. In New Zealand, Agria is the one to reach for.

• Bake your potatoes if you can. Drier potato means less flour and lighter gnocchi
• Rice them while they’re still warm, then let the steam escape before mixing
• Do not go heavy on the flour or you’ll end up with dense gnocchi
• Do not knead it like bread. A light hand is the difference between soft and tough
• Caputo Pasta Fresca e Gnocchi flour is very finely milled and made for fresh pasta and gnocchi, so it gives a more delicate result
• Plain flour will still work, but the texture may not be quite as soft and silky
• High-grade flour can make the gnocchi a bit tougher if you overwork the dough
• If the dough feels slightly tacky, that’s fine. Wet is not
• If the gnocchi fall apart when you test one, add a touch more flour
• Fresh gnocchi are best cooked soon after shaping

Click here for a video demonstration.