Leftover Mashed-Potato Gnocchi

Cooking and ricing potatoes is half the work of making gnocchi, so why not start out with some of those leftover mashed potatoes? This recipe is very easy, but you'll need to watch out for the amount of flour you put in; you only need just enough to make the potatoes roll easily. If you add too much flour, your gnocchi will be heavy. You can make these with any kind of mashed potatoes (parmesan, roasted garlic, or whatever); I've even used mashed potatoes with skins in them.

Makes 2 servings

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 C mashed potatoes
1 egg
1/4-1/2 C all-purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Procedure:
Combine the mashed potatoes with the egg and season with salt and pepper, depending on how seasoned your mashed potatoes are. Add 1/4 cup of the flour, and stir together until well-combined. The dough should form a ball easily and shouldn't stick to the counter when rolled out. If it does, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time.

Gnocchi waiting to be boiled.

Divide the dough ball in half and roll each half into a 3/4-inch rope. Using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut the ropes into small pieces, each about 1/2-inch wide. Shape each gnocchi by rolling it over the tines on the back of a fork.

At this point, you can cook the gnocchi, refrigerate them for a few hours until you're ready to cook them and toss with sauce, or freeze them. When you're ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to boil, season generously with salt, and boil them in 2-3 batches for 2 minutes, or until they float to the top of the water. Remove them with a strainer and toss with a warm sauce of your choice.