Turn bland, icky, solidified leftover mashed potatoes into delicious, pillowy gnocchi. By just adding an egg yolk and some flour to that mound of mashed you'll create a pasta like dough that tastes delicious and comes together quickly. Eat them right away or freeze them for a 10 minute meal later!
When I'm making dinner I generally count on one potato per person. Who can't eat a whole potato? I can eat several potatoes. Fried, mashed, boiled, raw ... doesn't make a difference.
So for Thanksgiving dinner I peeled up 13 potatoes for my 13 guests then threw in a few more for good luck (and myself). That would make just enough mashed potatoes in my estimation for 13 people to have with their turkey, stuffing, turnip, green beans, rolls, pumpkin soup and tomato salad. And pie. And ice cream. And a little more stuffing while standing in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. And the other pie.
I may have overestimated everyone else's ability to eat mashed potatoes until it bursts out of their belly button because I ended up with leftover mashed potatoes.
I had 6 cups of leftover mashed potatoes.
When my sister was helping me clean up she asked if I wanted to keep them. "YES! YES! YES!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, YESSSSS I WANT TO KEEP THE MASHED POTATOES! Who are you??"
At the time I said I'd make potato pancakes with some and give the rest to the chickens. You may not know this about chickens, but chickens loveeee mashed potatoes.
Then a couple of days later when it came time to deal with the mountain of mashed potatoes, I had a potato epiphany. It came in the form of a tiny Italian angel who ran up my spine, over my head, down my face and kicked me in the nose.
His name was Gnocchi.
Gnocchi is a food sent from the angels. Granted, they're the kind of angels who kick you in the nose ... but nobody likes a goody goody.
If you aren't completely familiar with it, I'll explain what Gnocchi is exactly.
What's Gnocchi?
Gnocchi's a little dumpling that looks like pasta but is actually made with mashed potatoes. (sometimes it's made with other things, but we're focusing on potato gnocchi today since it's the most popular) There is some flour and egg added in, like a regular pasta, but the base ingredient is potato.
They can be served with tomato sauce or butter and parmesan cheese. Or anything else you can think up. Dousing gnocchi with browned butter and fried sage leaves is one of my favourite ways to make it.
This is not a recipe that you need to be too concerned about measurements. In fact, making gnocchi is more about the feel of it than the exact measurements. Like any dough!
Generally speaking it's 2 parts mashed potato, 1 part flour and 1 egg per 2 cups of potatoes.
For this batch here I worked with:
2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
¾ tsp. salt
That ratio of 2 cups potato to 1 cup flour to 1 egg
is the same as
1 lb potatoes to 1 cup flour to 1 egg
Dump half of your flour onto your work surface.
Dump your mashed potatoes onto the flour.
Form a well in the potatoes and pour your egg in it.
Add salt.
Pour half the remaining flour (½ a cup) on top.
Work the egg, salt and flour into the potatoes using either your hands or a pastry scraper.
Once everything is roughly incorporated, gently knead the dough like you would pasta for a couple of minutes. Do not over knead. At this point you can incorporate the rest of the flour if you need it. If the dough is still too sticky to handle or roll out, you need more flour.
Again, be careful not to add too much flour, or your gnocchi will be dense and tough.
Divide your dough into workable pieces.
Roll the dough out until it's around ¾ " in diameter.
Using your pastry cutter or a knife, cut the rope into lengths of ¾".
Now you have to decide how you want to shape your gnocchi. By pressing it with your thumb, or rolling it on a fork.
To get the classic ribs on the gnocchi, roll each piece down the tines of a fork. It's takes some practice, but you'll get the hang of it.
You aren't just sliding it down the fork, you need to roll it down. Once you do it right the first time you'll yell, "ah HAH!".
And then you'll run outside to drag someone in to show them.
To make the thumbprint version, just poke your finger into the centre of the gnocchi. Both versions are fine. The reason you NEED to do one of these two methods is because it's the ridges and the indent that helps holds whatever sauce you're putting on them.
If you're planning to freeze some gnocchi, lightly flour a baking sheet, place the gnocchi on it and freeze. Once frozen you can remove them from the pan and immediately put them in baggies or a widemouth mason jar. These then go back in the freezer. Work as quickly as possible so the gnocchi doesn't have a chance to thaw out at all (because then they'll stick to each other).
To cook your gnocchi, drop them in salted, boiling water. They're done when they float. To make them even MORE delicious, pan fry them for a couple of minutes in butter and/or oil.
Then you can either top the gnocchi with any old red sauce you can get your hands on, or you can take it a step further and serve Gnocchi with browned butter and crispy sage leaves.
All this because I made an extra 6 cups of mashed potatoes. I won't make that mistake again next year. I'll make sure I have at least 8.
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Jill@BarrioAdjacent
My Italian grandma used to make gnocchi. I've always regretted not paying attention when she was doing it now that she's gone. Your pictures look exactly like I remember as a kid except she had a move where she pinched the dough in her fingers and twisted it and it came out with a little fold - no fork involved. I think I'll try it - will have to use your fork method as the pinch and tuck is lost to history.
Thanks!
Nancy Blue Moon
You are amazing! My son and I have been talking about trying this as we have never had them..and we always make to many mashed potatoes..Only one thing I don't know..How do you pronounce Gnocchi??
Karen
The G is kind of silent, but not really. You can get away with saying "neokee" ~ karen!
Nancy Blue Moon
Thanks..mystery solved..lol
Kori
Yum... Gonna try this Gnocchi thing one more time! I have 2 failures in my pocket so far...Love the new work surface! Looks great!
Carole
I love when you post recipies because they are always GREAT. Did you already get your new counters and cabinets? That counter looks new...hum. I don't remember seeing remodeling pics - just plan pictures. I can't wait to see your kitchen remodeling posts.
Karen
Nope. Kitchen isn't remodelled yet. ~ karen!
Carole
Oh. Great recipe, by the way.
Robin Siegerman
I thought I liked you, but now I realize how wrong I was. I will never forgive you for poking the sleeping giant of my carb craving right in the eye! Now I will NEVER REST until I buy a BUSHEL of freakin' potatoes to make gnocchi in order to scarf them down with browned butter and sage!! How many hours a day will I have to work out to be able to eat these babies and get as skinny as you?! I'm doomed. Thanks a bunch.
Karen
Awww. You're welcome Robin! :) ~ karen
Olga
This is wierdesly weird! Just yesterday I purposely baked extra potatoes with an idea to make gnocchi with the "leftovers". I wonder if this is like a Gnocchi season and everyone in the world are making Gnocchi now...
NikiDee
All these years I've told myself I didn't like gnocchi. All these years I've had no guilt about passing it up with an emphatic and perhaps smug, knowing: "NO". Now you go and fry it in butter. Good gawd look at what I've been missing. So glad your Thanksgiving is before ours...guess who is saying "YES" to gnocchi and making vats of mashed potatoes this year?
Sally A.
So who is taking the pictures while you do that? Is is Idris? Just curious...not trying to get in your business. They look delicious by the way...and I am positive the fella is an idiot too. :o)
Karen
LOL. Sometimes a remote ... sometimes a delayed shutter ... sometimes Idris. ~ karen!
Sally A.
I knew it!!! Ha!
Lynne
Mmmmmmm. Gnocchi.
I honestly have never made them myself - but after reading this I might give it a try - the only problem being that I'm trying to restrict my carb intake to a reasonable level and the presence of a plethora of homemade gnocchi in the house would definitely sabotage that effort.
My favourite Italian restaurant used to serve gnocchi with a creamy roasted red pepper and gorgonzola sauce. Rich - heck, it was downright decadent - and delicious. I've been able to replicate the sauce at home. Now for the gnocchi...
cred
Mmmmmm! those look so good and you do make it look easy.
I love gnocchi, especially with pesto. But now I know, pan fry with butter.
Ashley
I wish I had of read this last night. I ate my leftover mashed potatoes with cheese melted on top. Gnocchi would have been much more satisfyign.
joanne
Leftover mashed potatoes? Never heard of such a thing. No such animal.
Must be a Canadian thing. Never happens in this hous e(or any other house I know of).
I remember taking a girl scout cooking class - one of the recipes was for Shepherd's pie, using "leftover mashed potatoes".... even the troop leader agreed that there was no such thing. As a result, I have never made Shepherd's Pie.... and have only made gnocchi starting with raw potatoes.
Can I come to your house for leftover mashed potatoes?
Emily
I have never heard of this... but now that I have I will hear/see it 3 times... does that happen to anyone else? I don't cook that much any more.. but this makes me want to see if I can make them. And BTW, yours is the first blog I have ever subscribed to as well!
Karen
Hah! Thanks for letting me know. :) And I know exactly what you mean about the gnocchi. Now you'll be seeing it and hearing about it everywhere! ~ karen
Tigersmom
Well, I am jazzed about this. I think even a pretty iffy cook such as myself could do this. And I will because store bought gnocchi is tough and chewy. And I love a good gnocchi. And the frying in butter part is right up my alley. Clogged arteries be damned.
I also love the way you referred to you-know-what as your "work surface." Your photography and styling are wonderful in their un-staged yet artfully composed way. Love the green egg shell picking up the green of the mixing bowl. And the keeping-it-real inclusion of your diet coke can in one of them.
Su
Excellent! you have raised the 'art of doing stuff' to a whole new level :)
Denise
Yum! Have you ever frozen these to cook at a later date?
Karen
Yup. That's the only way to do it! I have baggies and baggie in my freezer right now. That's why I suggest freezing them on a cookie sheet. :) ~ karen!
JennyW
I made these years ago, they were delish - but it looked like something exploaded in my kitchen! Flour everywhere! I'm gonna try them again and try to be as neat and tidy as you :) Oh and just putting it out there, the fella must be an idiot (Team Karen all the way, all the time).
Kelly
My mom used to make a Ukranian variation, which she called kliutsky (not sure of the spelling there, did it phoenetically). Basically, same idea of potato, flour and egg to bind, then fried in bacon grease with bits of bacon and green onions sprinkled over top. NOT low cal, but YUM!
Lidka
Bacon and onions make anything taste better.
Bonnie G.
Dani is right on about Italian mothers! Mine was the same - "use a ball of potatoes this big and this much flour" - you get the picture! Oh they are so good and light. My oldest daughter loves gnocchi and we make them around Christmas. They are great with pesto.
michele
Ooh, thank you, I love gnocchi and haven't made them in years. Do you have a preferred potato variety ie waxy, floury or something in between.