Potato Gnocchi with Tomato-Porcini Sauce Recipe

Heat the oven to 450°F.

Fill a large pot with about 9 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil. Stir in enough salt so that the water tastes salty, about 6 tablespoons kosher salt or 3 tablespoons fine salt. Keep warm until ready to cook the gnocchi.

Set the potatoes on the oven rack and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, immediately cut them in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp over a large bowl. You will have about 8 cups. (Use rubber gloves or a kitchen towel when handling the potatoes; they are hot.) Quickly work the pulp through a ricer set over a baking sheet, spreading the riced potatoes across the sheet to release steam. Let sit until the potatoes are cool enough to handle.

Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Using a fork, stir in 1/2 cup of the flour. Then stir in another 1/2 cup flour. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Gradually knead in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a 6-by-4-inch loaf. Cut the loaf into 1-inch strips and roll 1 strip into a cylinder about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut the cylinder into 1-1/4-inch pieces.

Test the gnocchi: Return the water to a boil and drop 2 or 3 gnocchi in. Cook for a minute longer after they rise to the surface, about 3 to 4 minutes total. If the gnocchi fall apart, add more flour to the dough, 1/4 cup at a time, until the gnocchi hold together when boiled. Repeat shaping the dough into a loaf, cutting strips, rolling cylinders, and cutting into small gnocchi pieces. Using a floured fork, press the tines downward into each gnocchi so it curls around the fork.

Arrange the gnocchi in a single layer on two generously floured baking sheets. (The gnocchi are best cooked immediately, but they can stand floured and loosely covered by a kitchen towel for up to 4 hours before cooking. If serving past 4 hours, the gnocchi should be frozen right after they are formed; see “Extra tip” above.)

Boil the gnocchi in the salted water, stirring gently with a spoon, for a minute longer after they rise to the surface, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the floating gnocchi to a platter. Spoon just enough sauce to lightly cover the gnocchi, 1/2 cup at a time. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan. Serve immediately.

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