Potato Gnocchi with Ragù

If possible, please select potatoes that are white or yellow inside, as those are the potatoes that have a higher starch level.  Also use potatoes that are somewhat older, as new potatoes have a higher water content.

Wash the potatoes well, and place in boiling water.  Please try to select and use potatoes that are all more or less the same size (so they take about the same amount of time to boil properly).  Try to boil gently so the peels don't break off the potatoes.  Cook for about 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender in the center.

Remove from heat, and peel potatoes once they're cool enough to handle.  Using a potato masher, squash potato pulp. 

On a wooden cutting board, place your flour in a heaping mound shape.  Quickly and decisively add the potato mash and 3 pinches of salt to the flour and blend thoroughly (gently and quickly blend together).  Don't use too much pressure to force the mixture together.

If your dough seems to be overly sticky, this might indicate the potatoes contained too much water in the pulp.  In this case, you can add more flour to the mixture, being sure to blend well (see note above).  Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes on the cutting board.  Cut off a section of the dough, and roll out into a long log.  Cut the log into pieces measuring 2cm long.   Dust the pieces with additional flour over the tops, and place on a tray with a well-floured kitchen towel over the top of the pieces.  Allow to rest approximately 15 minutes. 

Cover with oil the bottom of a heavy saucepan, add a knob of butter and sauté very finely minced vegetables for about 5-10 minutes, starting with the onions and a good pinch of salt; when they soften a bit, add carrots and celery stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
Add the leaves of a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme as well. When the veggies are golden, add the meat and stir to let it cook evenly and to mix it with the vegetables (if cooking a large amount, I prefer to remove veggies from the pan, wipe clean it, add some oil and sautè meat well until it looses the raw edge, before adding veggies back to the pan and proceed cooking as follows).
Cook for about 10 minutes until moisture evaporates; season with salt and pepper and pour the wine. Let the alcohol evaporates; add then tomato sauce and stir to mix it thoroughly with the meat.
Let it simmer gently and partially covered for at least one and half hour (more if possible, definitely more if cooking a larger quantity), stirring frequently to avoid sticking (you can add a ladle of hot water or broth if necessary and adjust salt and pepper).   The sauce is ready when the fat rises to the surface. 

Boil a pot of salted water. Put in the gnocchi and wait for them to rise at top of the pot. Add to the sauce, mix gently so gnocchi don't break. Serve.