Basic Gnocchi

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Scrub the potatoes and pierce them in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes on the oven rack and bake for about 45 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, flour a pastry mat or board or the countertop.

Beat the egg in a small bowl; set aside.

Lightly flour a baking sheet.

As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still hot, peel them and put them through a potato ricer (or food mill). Measure 2 cups of potatoes and spread them out on the floured surface. Let them cool just slightly. If too hot, they could cook the egg; they should be quite warm.

Scoop the warm potatoes into a mound and drizzle the beaten egg over them. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1 cup of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. With a pastry scraper or your hands, mix the dough, folding it over until you have a soft but slightly rough dough forms. If the dough is sticking, add more flour, but don’t overwork the dough.

Divide the dough into about six portions.

Roll each portion to form a rope about 1/2 inch thick.

With a sharp knife, cut the rope into 3/4-inch lengths. Gently roll each piece of dough over a gnocchi board or the back of a fork to make the classic gnocchi ridges. If you don’t get perfect ridges, they will get better with a little practice.

Arrange the shaped gnocchi in a single layer on the lightly floured baking sheet while you work on the remaining dough.

If you are cooking the gnocchi immediately, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add about two dozen gnocchi and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes after they float to the top.

To freeze, put the baking sheet with gnocchi in the freezer for a few hours, or until they are solid. Transfer the frozen gnocchi to a freezer bag; seal it, label it with the name and date, and store it in the freezer.

Cook the frozen gnocchi in boiling salted water as above.