How to Make tiny Italian potato dumplings or gnocchi

Gnocchi is a tasty alternative to traditional Italian pasta. Gnocchi is actually teeny tiny potato dumplings and tastes fantastic draped with your favorite olive oil or tomato sauce. Check out this video for advice on how to make your own gnocchi from scratch at home.

You Will Need:

* 2 lbs. Russet potatoes

* 2 egg yolks, beaten

* 1½ cups flour

* 1 tsp. salt

* Pasta sauce

* Butter

* Parmesan cheese

* A ricer

Step 1: Bake the potatoes

Bake the unpeeled potatoes in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until fork tender.

Step 2: Cool the potatoes

Let the potatoes cool until you can just handle them.

Step 3: Rice the potatoes

Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and discard the skins. Pass the potatoes through a ricer.

If you don't have a ricer, mash the potatoes lightly with a fork.

Step 4: Make dough

Add the beaten egg yolks, flour, and salt to the potatoes to form a dough.

Do not over-mix the dough. You want your gnocchi to be light. Over-mixing or adding too much flour will make them heavy.

Step 5: Roll the dough

Roll the dough by hand, on a floured surface, into three-quarter-inch rolls.

Treat the dough lightly. Gently roll out the dough with your fingertips without pressing down hard or compressing it.

Step 6: Cut the dough

Cut the rolls into one-inch pieces. They should look like little dumplings. Use your fingertip or the tines of a fork to make a slight indentation in each one.

Step 7: Cook the gnocchi

Cook the gnocchi in batches, about 20 at a time, in gently boiling salted water. Remove them when they rise to the top. Then drain the water and place them on a platter.

Step 8: Sauce and serve

Serve the gnocchi with warm pasta sauce, oil or simply butter and parmesan cheese.