• Pre-cook the potatoes by roasting them in the oven at 220°C/425°F for 45 mins to 1 hour. Allow them to cool fully before starting on the next step.
• Remove the potatoes from their skin and press through a sieve using a spoon or clean hands. Alternatively a potato ricer can work just as well.
• Tip the potato mixture out onto a clean work surface. The potato might be quite tacky at this point.
• Create a well in the middle of the mixture.
• Add the oil and salt to the well.
• Depending on the variety of potato you’ve used, you want to add enough semolina or plain flour to form a smooth dough. If you’re unsure of how much flour to add, it’s best to add a small quantity first and then add more as you go along, if need be. The texture you’re looking for is a pliable, non-sticky dough that’s not too dry.
• Using a bench scraper or your hands, bring the mixture together to form a dough by folding the sides of the mixture over and into the well. If the dough is a bit too dry and this point, add some extra oil to help bind the ingredients together.
• Then, lightly knead the dough together using your hands for around 2 minutes or until the dough comes together smoothly. Shape into a round ball.
• Chop a slice from the dough ball and set aside and cover the rest of the mixture.
• Roll out the segment into a 2cm thick log and, using a bench scraper or knife, chop into thumbnail-sized dumplings - this part is oddly satisfying!
• Add a sprinkling of flour to coat the chopped gnocchi. Roll out the dumplings into circular shapes using the palm of your hands. Set them aside in some spare flour as you work on creating more gnocchi. Lightly roll the gnocchi dumplings in the flour to prevent them from sticking together.
• If you’re using a gnocchi board, start at the top of the dumpling and carefully roll each gnocco down the board and over your thumb to score it with the pattern. This step is optional but does create the classic gnocchi shape!
• You can also score the dumplings by using a fork if you do not have a gnocchi board. The process is just the same as above: carefully roll each gnoccho down the tines of the fork and over your thumb to achieve the trademark shell effect. While you are scoring the dumplings, make sure to keep all the gnocchi well-floured to avoid them sticking together. More flour is better than less as they stick together incredibly quickly.

To Cook the Gnocchi

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil and drop in the gnocchi. Boil until they begin to float, which should take around 2-3 minutes.
• Reheat your pasta sauce of preference – check out our Best Ever Tomato sauce recipe - toss the cooked gnocchi in the sauce and enjoy!