Step 1
With skins on, prick potatoes with knife to allow steam to escape. Bake potatoes for 45 minutes in 400-degree oven or until a fork goes into the potato easily. Remove and allow to cool 15 minutes.
Step 2
Remove peels (easier after the potatoes are baked) and rice potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Ricing creates a smooth potato texture. Add salt, flour and egg. The egg is essential for gluten-free gnocchi because its protein will keep the dumpling together. Mix by hand until ingredients just come together.
Step 3
Divide the dough into four, and then roll out each section into 1-inch wide ropes. If the dough does not roll easily, return to mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup more flour. Roll and test, adding slightly more flour each time until the dough rolls with some ease.
Step 4
Once all the dough is rolled into ropes, cut the gnocchi with a dough scraper or wet knife into 1- to 2-inch long pieces.
Step 5
Consider rolling dumplings along the back of a fork to form the traditional gnocchi ridges, great for capturing buttery sauces, or skip this step to save about 20 minutes of work. I personally haven't found the ridges to add that much. Also, consider making the gnocchi pieces slightly bigger than the traditional recipes, also to save time.
Step 6
Set up a double boiler with a pot of salted water. The water should be just under the colander without actually boiling through. Place the gnocchi, one cut rope at a time, on to the colander, and steam for 7 minutes per batch with the lid on. Remove and keep cooked dumplings on a hot plate to prevent the gnocchi from hardening and losing tenderness.
Step 7
Serve with a brown butter and sage sauce, the traditional pairing, or fry in butter for tiny potato dumplings with a lovely golden-brown crust. <i>Image from Flickr.com/enricomatteucci.</i>