Literal translation, gnocchi = “little lump” but a great Gnocchi will not be dense or lumpy. That can only happen when you choose the right kind of Potato. I always thought a Potato is a Potato but not all Potatoes are alike. An Idaho is a baking Potato and can be very mealy and starchy great for Fries. Where as a New Potato small and red, are moist and make terrific Potato salad. Neither work well when making Gnocchi. You want a light dough for the best Gnocchi and that will happen when you use a round yellowish-white boiling Potato, like Yukon Gold. Its texture is waxy and creates a less dense dough which is ideal for making a lump free, smooth and ultimately light, Gnocchi. With just two ingredients this is the simplest recipe out there. The technique comes in the shaping of the dough. Fine motor skills don’t happen over night and like many tasks, this just one just takes some time to finesse.
Potato Gnocchi
6- 1 cup servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes (approximately 4 Potatoes)
1 1/2 – 2 cups Flour
Instructions
Place the Potatoes in a pot of salted water with the skins on.
Boil until tender. Pierce them with a knife to check that they are tender but not too soft.
Drain them (you can keep some of the Potato water for other baking recipes)
Peel them when hot.
Press through a ricer or a potato masher until very smooth. If you prefer to use a food processor just make sure it doesn’t get too thin or soft.
Add the flour a little at a time until soft, smooth dough is formed.
Lightly dust a work surface and shape the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 3 portions and shape into two long, thin rolls. Cut the rolls into 3/4 inch pieces working with dusted hands adding more flour if the dough is sticky.
Using a fork, roll or flip the small pieces on the tines of the fork to create lines and to form a loose oval shape. Continue to shape all of the dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in batches so not to over crowd them. Strain in a colander and serve with Pesto.
Notes
Shaping the gnocchi is a bit tricky and this dough can be sticky. We used more flour as we started to shape them and found the best technique was to roll the small balls of dough over a fork just to get an imprint of the tines. 
Make sure to line your sheet pan with parchment paper that has been dusted with flour and you can always freeze them for later in a single layer on a sheet pan so they don’t stick together.