Potato Gnocchi with Bolognese

Dinner Jan 31, 2025

Note: If I remember correctly, my potatoes were pretty old and wrinkling. So the potatoes were pretty dry and worked pretty well for making less gummy gnocchi.

Ingredients:

3 pounds (1.4kg) Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and pierced all over with a fork ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour (100g), divided, plus more for dusting and as needed Kosher Salt

2 cups Bolognese sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Set potatoes directly on the oven's racks. Bake until completely tender throughout when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Transfer potatoes to a work surface. Using tongs to hold hot potatoes, slice each in half lengthwise.

Using a spoon, scoop potato flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher till just smooth. Spread mash out to an even layer on a clean work surface and allow steam to escape for a few minutes.

Scoop ½ cup flour and salt into a fine-mesh sieve and tap to dust flour all over potatoes.

Using a pastry blender or bench scraper, chop down repeatedly all over to cut flour and salt into potato.

Using a bench scraper, gather up shaggy potato mass and pat into a loose ball. Press ball flat with hands, then fold in half using bench scraper and press down again.

Scoop remaining ¼ cup flour into sieve and dust all over potato dough. Continue to gently fold and press, just until a uniform dough comes together. (Make sure to simply fold and press down; avoid the smearing motion more commonly used when kneading bread.)

Dust potato dough all over with flour and gently form into a log.

Clean work area well and dust with fresh flour. Using bench scraper, slice off a roughly 1-inch-thick portion of dough and roll into a snake about ½ inch thick; use a light touch as you roll, trying to use your palms more than your fingers, and dusting as necessary with flour to prevent sticking.

Using bench scraper, cut snake into 1-inch portions, trimming off uneven ends as necessary. Transfer gnocchi to a well-floured area or baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a large pot of very well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat leftover bolognese in a skillet over low heat.

Using a bench scraper or slotted spatula to scoop them up, transfer gnocchi to boiling water. Stir once very gently with a spider or slotted spoon to prevent sticking. When gnocchi begin to float to the surface, wait about 20 seconds, then taste one; it should be soft yet cooked through, without any raw-flour flavor.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop gnocchi directly into skillet with warmed bolognese, allowing some of the water clinging to them to come along. Cook gnocchi in sauce over medium-high heat, tossing very gently and adding a splash of cooking water as needed.

Final Notes:

Would not really recommend this sauce with gnocchi. The sauce was still leftover from lasagna, and my potatoes were getting old so it was just to use up stuff I had around.