Ingredients

• 1kg Desiree potatoes, unpeeled (see note)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 115g (3/4 cup) plain flour
• 50g (2/3 cup) shredded parmesan
• 2 tablespoons fresh continental parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• Plain flour, extra, to dust

Method

• Step 1 Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water. Cover. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to low. Cook for 30 minutes or until soft when pierced with a skewer.
• Step 2 Let the potatoes cool for about 30 minutes, then peel with a small knife. If they're still too hot to handle, wear clean rubber gloves. Return potatoes to the pan.
• Step 3 Mash potato until just smooth, then press one-quarter of potato through a sieve into a bowl. Repeat in 3 more batches. Add salt and season with pepper.
• Step 4 Combine the flour with parmesan, parsley and fresh chives. Add the flour mixture to the potato mash. Mix to form a firm, slightly sticky dough. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour, but only a tablespoon at a time. Too much makes the dough heavy.
• Step 5 Dust a tray, lined with a clean, dry tea towel, with flour. Cut dough into 4 even portions. Roll each portion on a lightly floured surface to a 2cm-thick log.
• Step 6 Use a lightly floured knife to cut logs into 2cm pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place on the lined tray, making sure the gnocchi don't touch each other.
• Step 7 Gently roll, 1 at a time, over the back of a lightly floured fork. The ridges help sauce cling to the gnocchi and give them a traditional Italian finish.
• Step 8 Bring a large shallow saucepan of water to the boil. Add one-quarter of the gnocchi. When they rise to the surface - after about 2-3 minutes - they're ready.
• Step 9 Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a baking tray, making sure there's a little cooking water still on the tray. This stops them sticking together.