Nick’s grandma Lena is one of the best cooks I know.  True to her Italian heritage, she gave me a huge kiss and a bowl of soup the first time we met.  I love watching her cook.  She never measures—a pinch of this with a pinch of that and voila, a delicious meal is on the table.

During her last visit, I talked Lena into teaching me how to make gnocchi.  Ever since then, they’ve become a favorite at my house.

If you’ve never had them before, gnocchi are small dumplings usually made out of potatoes or semolina flour.  They are soft and pillowy like a baby’s bum.  In Italy, they are served like any pasta as a first course, or occasionally as an accompaniment to the main course.  You can  usually buy them at the grocery store next to the packaged ravioli and tortellini.  But trust me, you will go never go back to that section once you’ve made your own.

This recipe makes quite a bit.  You can freeze the extra and have them on a busy weeknight.  Like pasta, gnocchi are great boiled and tossed with any of your favorite sauces.  Marinara, pesto, vodka cream sauce are all good choices.

My new favorite way of cooking them is to pan-fry fresh gnocchi.  They turn golden and crispy on the outside, but remain soft on the inside.  Maybe it’s the potatoes, but they sort of taste like hash browns.  Nick likes them with ketchup.  I fried up a batch today, sprinkled  some salt, pepper and Parmesan and ate them with my fingers.  So addicting.

I know some of you reading this have other ways of making gnocchi.  I’ve read recipes that mix everything in a bowl, or enlist the help of a mixer.  But Lena prefers to roll out the dough by hand.  And I would too if I end up having her energy (and arms) when I am in my 80s.

Lena’s Potato Gnocchi

• Russet potatoes, peeled and diced, 3
• Egg yolks, 2
• All-purpose flour, 3 cups, plus a bit more for rolling out the dough

Boil potatoes in water until they are very tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return them to the pot.  Turn the heat back on  for about 30 seconds to boil off any excess water.  Mash potatoes until smooth.  Set aside until they are cool enough to handle by hand.

Make a well with the flour.  Add the mashed potatoes to the flour and knead until a dough forms, about 5 minutes.  Add the egg yolks to the dough and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and turns a pale yellow color, another 5  minutes.  Flour your hands and the working surface if the dough sticks.

Cut the dough into 8 sections.  Roll each section into sausage shapes about 3/4 inch in diameter.  Slice the dough into 3/4 inch disks. Sprinkle the disks with some flour.

Hold a fork in your left hand and press a disk against the tines  with your right thumb just hard enough to make ridges.  Then flip the disk downward off the fork so it curls up into a elongated shell shape.  Repeat with the rest of the disks. You can omit this step, but the ridges help the gnocchi collect more sauce.

Boil the gnocchi in a saucepan of lightly salted, barely simmering water.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  They will rise to the surface when they are cooked.  Take them out with a slotted spoon.  Or pan-fry the gnocchi in a seasoned pan over a medium heat until they are golden, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and grated Parmesan.

To freeze, place the gnocchi in one layer on a baking sheet and put it inside the freezer. After about two hours, take out the gnocchi, separate ones that have stuck to each other and put them into a Ziploc bag.

Serves 6.