1. Peel the potatoes, remove any eyes or dark spots. Cut the potatoes into 1″ thick rounds, cut the rounds in half, then quarter. Try and keep all quarters about the same size and thickness so the potatoes boil evenly.

2. Boil potatoes until fork-tender. A common dinner fork, inserted into a potato piece should pierce through it easily. Strain them and place the strained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

3. Mash the potatoes until no lumps form. I usually mash the potatoes, then grab and smoosh a bit between my fingers to check for lumps. 

4. Add olive oil and mix into the potatoes.

5. Add flour and salt. Mix into the potatoes with a spoon until a rough dough forms. If a non-sticky dough isn’t forming, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time.

6. Flour a cutting board to knead and roll your gnocchi.

7. Here’s where you need to STOP! This is pasta, with some potatoes incorporated for pillowy mouthfeel. This recipe is mainly flour, with some added potatoes. Don’t stress if you need to add more flour. I have used 1 cup of flour all the way up to 2.5 cups before. It’s a wide range depending on the moisture content in your potatoes.

8. If you think your gnocchi is ready, is a nice smooth, workable dough- wash your hands and walk away for 5 minutes. Come back around a knead the dough a couple more times. Does is actually still feel sticky? Add a touch more flour!

9. Shape the dough into a ball, then smash into a disc shape. Cut the disc into 8 equal sections. Take one section to begin working with.

10. Grab a section of dough and roll it out into a long log shape that’s 1/4-3/8″ thick. Cut the log into 1/2″ pieces.

11. Prior to fork-tining the gnocchi for those sauce loving pleats, take your freshly cut gnocchi-log and dust all the pieces with flour. This helps prevent sticking. I always do a couple test gnocchis at this point. Drop a couple gnocchis into boiling water until they float to the top. Cool and taste. Texture okay?

12. This is optional! The pleats. Place a fork upside down on your cutting board. Start at the base of the fork, push and roll your naked gnocchis downward across the tines. Voila! I’ve found smaller gnocchi are easier to create those IG worthy crevices.

13. Heat a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add you gnocchis and boil for 2-4 minutes. They are done after they float on top for about 30 seconds. 

14. Pair with your favorite sauce, fresh vegetables, or leafy greens and enjoy!