• In a microwave proof bowl, place your peeled and cubed potatoes. Add enough water to just barely cover the bottom of the potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in l the microwave on high for 10 minutes. If cooking on the stovetop, add enough water to cover the tops of the potatoes and cook on high heat until soft.
• Prepare a large pasta pot filled halfway with water, and place on high heat. This will be to boil your pasta. Add a big pinch of salt, and splash of olive oil
• After cooking the potatoes until soft, drain and reserve.
• On a dry large cutter board or counter, sprinkle a little bit of flour.
• Using a ricer, rice the potatoes directly onto the work surface. If you don’t have a ricer, you can mash the potatoes (your gnocchi may have lumps if the potato isn’t evenly mashed!)
• Take a medium sized fine mesh sieve, and sift 3/4 cup of AP flour directly over the potato pile.
• Now, make a small ‘well’ in the middle of the potatoes. Scramble an egg in a small bowl with a fork, and add to the well.
• Next, add the chopped chives, ricotta cheese, salt, and pepper to the well.
• We are now going to form the pasta dough. Be sure to have some extra flour on hand in case your dough is sticky.
• Taking the potato & flour mixture from the outside to the inside, gently fold into the well. Repeat until the egg and ricotta are incorporated. If the dough feels wet, add a tablespoon or two of flour. Remember: ‘less is more’ when adding the flour.
• Be careful not to over-knead this pasta – you want your gnocchi to be pillowy, and kneading adds chewiness.
• Once you’ve incorporated the dough, and formed it into a rough circle, cut in half and wrap in plastic. You can store this extra dough in the fringe for a day or so, although I usually try to form all of the gnocchi at one time to prevent browning of the potato portion of the dough.
• Cut the dough in half again, and place one piece aside (it’s otherwise hard to work with such a large amount at once). With floured hands, begin to roll the dough into a snake. You want it to be about as thick as your thumb.
• Afer rolling with your hands, take a knife and cut the individual gnocchis into shape, each about an inch long. Place the gnocchi on a clean plate. Repeat with the next quarter of dough (and the rest of the dough, if you’re feeling inspired!).
• After shaping, press gently on each gnocchi and make a small indention with your finger, The dent will help the gnocchi hold sauce!
• After all of the pasta is shaped, you can decide to cook all of it, or freeze half (see the note above, but basically the recipe makes twice as much pasta as you need for 4 servings.)

To Cook

• (If you’re cooking this as you read, please check the sauce recipe below – start the sauce before boiling the pasta, then toss in the 1/4 cup of pasta water to it right before you add the gnocchi.)
• Make sure to have a large pot of boiling, salted water, a large skillet, and a sieve, or some other way to scoop up the cooked pasta!
• Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Place your gnocchi right into a pot of boiling water, and cook for 90 seconds, or until they all float. You can do this in batches if you have a lot of gnocchi!
• When they are floating, fish the gnocchi out with a sieve, and place right into the hot skillet. Fry the gnocchi until golden brown on both sides (a couple of minutes). Pour the contents of the pan into the sauce (below) to finish.