After my last gnocchi, which were somewhat of a disaster, I knew I would have to try again, and it would have to be from a different book. Mark Bittman has an easy-sounding recipe, so I bought some potatoes the other night and went to work.

The recipe is extremely simple: boil one pound of baking potatoes (such as russet—do not use Yukon Gold or red potatoes) until they are very tender. Peel and mash them, and stir in flour until you have a workable dough. (I needed about a half cup.) Break off chunks, roll them into ropes 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface, cut little gnocchi off the ropes, and boil until they have been floating for one minute. I served them under a long-simmered tomato sauce, that was made easier with the vintage food processor that Emily Lyons “lent” me, which made quick work of the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic that I usually spend twenty minutes chopping.

These are delicious, and so easy! I probably should have boiled my potatoes longer; they were slightly chunky. But I actually like having chunks mixed in with the pillowy dough, since sometimes gnocchi are so soft that I feel like I haven’t eaten anything. This random blog has pretty accurate pictures of the entire process.