Gnocchi

Ingredients

• potatoes
• flour
• tomato
• parmesan
• butter
• sage
• oregano
• thyme
• kosher salt
• pasta water

Method

Gnocchi is a dough-making|starch dough built on potato and flour bound with minimal liquid. The potato does two jobs: it provides structure through starch, and it keeps the dough tender because potatoes contain less gluten-forming protein than wheat alone. Start by boiling waxy potatoes in their skins — the skin acts as a barrier, stopping waterlogging. Boil until a knife slides through with no resistance, then halve them and scoop the flesh while still hot. Hot potato mashes more easily and absorbs flour more evenly; cold potato seizes up and becomes gluey.

Pass the hot potato through a ricer or mash it hard with a masher until completely smooth — any lumps will tear your gnocchi later. Scatter flour over the mash and fold it in gently with your hands, working the dough just until it comes together. The dough should feel slightly sticky and hold its shape without cracking at the edges. If it's wet and slack, dust more flour in. If it's dry and won't bind, you've either over-worked it or your potatoes were too starchy — start again. Boiling salted water is your test: pinch off a piece, roll it into a rough ball, drop it in. It should sink, then rise to the surface after thirty seconds to a minute. If it sinks and stays there, your dough needs more flour.

Roll quarter of the dough into a thick rope on a floured surface, then cut it into thumb-sized pieces. Press each piece with your thumb to create a shallow cup — this holds the sauce and helps it cook evenly. Drop them into rolling salted water and fish them out as soon as they bob to the surface; a second pass around the pot won't hurt but don't let them boil hard or they'll split.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat and add sage sprigs (oregano and thyme work, but sage's peppery edge cuts through the starch better). Once the gnocchi are drained, toss them into the sage butter for a minute or two until the underside catches pale gold. Add a splash of pasta|pasta water to emulsify the butter and keep the pan from drying out. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top and serve at once.