I'm pretty sure the only difference between German kartoffelkloesse and Italian gnocchi is the shape. The Germans roll them in their/our hands into round balls and the Italians (and for some Italophilic reason, my sister) roll them against a fork to give them a more gruvulous shape. (Yes, I use Doctor Seuss words like the mean something, deal with it!) In both traditions, the recipes usually call for flour (from wheat) and often eggs as well. I don't think the eggs add anything, but if you eat wheat you might want to try something like this recipe instead of mine. The dough will just be easier to work with.
Ingredients:
Potatoes (1Lbs)
Potato Starch (2Tbsp)
Besan (1Tbsp)
Xanthum Gum (½ tsp)
Directions:
Boil the Potatoes. Peel and mash them. Combine all the ingredients and stir until smooth. Form into desired shape (simple, Germanic balls or schmancy, Italian fork rolls). Drop them into boiling water; take them out when they are floating at the top.
The next step varies. Unless you are eating them right away, you probably want to cool them in a bath of ice water to keep them from sticking. Otherwise just sauce them and eat them. Once the are cooled you can coat them with olive oil if you like, to add further anti-stick insurance. To re-heat them you can either boil them (briefly), bake them or fry them. Serve them with you favorite pasta sauce, in a pasta casserole or in this recipe.
