Wash up the potatoes, cut out any bad spots, and microwave for 7-10 minutes, then let them sit for about 5 minutes more.

Use your paring knife to peel off the skins.

Now, using your fork, scrape the potatoes into shreds, taking care not to actually mash the potatoes.

Scrape the potatoes to one side of the bowl, crack in the egg, and mix the egg with your fork. Once you’ve mixed the egg, start incorporating the potato, bit by bit.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the potato-egg mixture, and, again using a mixing motion that is more lifting than pushing, work in the flour.

Add another 1/4 cup of flour in the same fashion.

On a floured work surface, dump out the gnocchi dough. Coat you hands with flour, and lightly, lightly, knead the gnocchi dough about 10-15 times.

Cut the dough into four pieces, and working with one, roll out into a log about the thickness of your finger.

Cut the log into pieces about 3/4-inch long, pick up each piece and give it a light squeeze to press in the middle a bit, and place on a lined cookie sheet.

Once you’ve shaped all the gnocchi, place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Freezing makes gnocchi so much easier to work with at cooking time.

Boil up a kettle of salted water (about 2 quarts with a teaspoon of salt), and Put about 1/3 of the gnocchi in the water.

Let the water come back to a boil, and the gnocchi will start floating to the surface. Floating is the indicator that they are done, so remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon.