POTATO RICOTTA GNOCCHI RECIPES

Steps:

• 1) Put the potatoes in a medium pot covered with cold water. Bring the water to a boil adding a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Then drain them.
• 2) When the potatoes become cool enough (but not to much), peel them. Using a potato ricer squeeze all the potatoes on a pastry board. It's important to do this while the potatoes are still warm but not hot.
• 3) Take the ricotta cheese and pass it through a sieve over the potatoes. Mix all and make a mound.
• 4) Form a well in the center of the potatoes and ricotta, then add the eggs, a pinch of salt and the flour. Mix until you have a soft ball but add more flour if the dough is to wet and sticky to knead.
• 5) Roll out the gnocchi dough so that it forms a rope of ¾ inch of diameter, then cut the rope into pieces of ¾ inch. Take each piece and roll it over a fork or better a wooden grid shaped with corners called gnocchi paddle.
• 6) Take a pot with water and bring to boil, then add the gnocchi. Be careful to avoid cooking gnocchi at a rolling boil. Don't lift them out until they float.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Wash the potatoes, prick them with a fork and place them on a sheet pan. Bake them until very soft, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Resist roasting them at a higher temperature to speed up the process--you want the skin and flesh just inside the skin to become crusty.) Cool them slightly and scoop out the insides. Rice the scooped potato with a ricer, or mash them with a fork. Place them in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth to retain their heat. The potatoes must be used while they are still very warm.
• Beat the eggs and yolk lightly together in a small bowl. Add them to the potatoes along with the flour, rosemary, salt, a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Mix gently with your hands until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the dough is smooth.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface. Lightly knead and add a little more flour if the dough is overly sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, uncovered.
• Roll the dough into thin 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Using a generous amount of flour, press each piece against your thumb tip to make a dent or roll it over the back and off the tip of a floured fork tines to make the traditional ridged shape. Place the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured sheet pan. Cook them as soon as possible in boiling salted water. (For every 5 quarts of water add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.)
• Add the gnocchi to the boiling water. When they rise to the top, let them cook for a minute or two and then remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain well and toss with butter.