Potato Gnocchi

How to make it

1. Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled in lightly salted water for 30-40 minutes. They're ready when a paring knife slides all the way to the center without resistance. ⏱ 30 min–40 min · passive
   Chef's tip Whole and unpeeled keeps the flesh from soaking up water, and wetter potato needs more flour, which is what makes gnocchi heavy. Pick them within a size range so they finish together; a split skin means one is going too far.
2. Drain the water and peel the potatoes while they're still steaming hot. Hold them with a kitchen towel and pull the skin off with a knife. Press them immediately through the potato ricer onto the counter, since hot potato flesh binds with less flour than cold. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Use the ricer, not a masher or blender — crushing burst potato cells release free starch and the dough turns gluey and sticky. Riced potato should fall in dry, separate threads.
3. Let the riced potato spread out loosely and steam off for 5 minutes, until it's no longer steaming and feels dry on the surface. ⏱ 5 min · passive
4. Sprinkle the tipo 00 flour and the salt for the dough over the cooled potato and crack the egg into the middle. Gather it by hand into a soft dough that just barely holds together and releases from the counter. Stop there — if you keep kneading, the gnocchi will turn chewy instead of light.
   Chef's tip How much flour the potato needs shifts with the variety and how dry it steamed off, so add the last handful only if the dough still smears. Boil one test piece before shaping the rest — if it falls apart, work in a little more flour.
5. Divide the dough into six pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 2 cm thick on a counter dusted with the all-purpose flour. Cut the ropes into pieces about 2 cm long, so you get small, evenly sized square pillows. ⏱ 15 min
6. Roll each piece lightly over the back of a fork with your thumb, so it gets ridges on one side and a dimple on the other. The ridges aren't decorative — they hold the butter. Place the gnocchi on a kitchen towel dusted with all-purpose flour, without letting them touch each other. ⏱ 10 min
7. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, until it's bubbling vigorously across the whole surface. ⏱ 8 min–10 min · passive
8. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and add the sage leaves. Let the butter foam up until the foam subsides, the aroma turns nutty, and the leaves are crisp. Keep an eye on it, since the butter goes from nut-brown to burnt in a matter of seconds.
   Chef's tip Listen: the loud crackle quiets as the water cooks off, then the milk solids at the bottom turn hazelnut brown. Pull the pan off the burner right at that colour — the hot pan keeps browning it for another half minute.
9. Cook the gnocchi in two batches in the boiling water. Each batch is done when the pieces have floated up and sat at the surface for a brief moment. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them directly into the sage butter.
   Chef's tip Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer once the gnocchi go in — vigorous bubbles batter the soft pillows apart. They float up after a couple of minutes and should stay there only very briefly, or they'll soak up water.
10. Toss the gnocchi in the sage butter over low heat with a couple of tablespoons of the salted cooking water, until the butter thickens and settles into a thin, glossy coating around each piece.
11. Divide the gnocchi among flat plates with the crisp sage leaves on top and sprinkle a little of the freshly grated parmigiano reggiano over them. Set the rest of the cheese on the table in a bowl, so everyone can add more as they go.