Peel the potatoes and then boil them in salted water until they are soft.

While the potatoes are boiling, finely slice the garlic, onion, pancetta/bacon, and fresh herbs. Then get a pan on the stove on a medium heat, throw in a little oil and the ingredients you just chopped up. Let that sizzle for a while, you want the fat to render out. Remember to keep checking on the pan every few minutes to ensure that nothing over cooks. No need to add salt or pepper at this stage as it will be added later.

Check on the potatoes. Once they are nice and soft remove them from the heat and allow as much water as possible to strain out, about 2 minutes over the sink should do. You need a well balanced moisture level for a pasta filling. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and mash them up.

The other ingredients in the pan should be done by this point and ready to transfer to the bowl with the potatoes in them. Transfer that mixture over to the potatoes and give it a good mix. Add the cottage cheese, yogurt and parmesan if you have it. Now add salt and pepper to taste. I enjoy adding a little nutmeg on days I want a light flavour and maybe a smoked paprika for days I am feeling a little more spice. Cover the bowl and set aside on the counter top to cool down.

While the mixture cools down you can prepare the pasta dough. There a bit of an art to making the perfect pasta dough, something that takes practice. Making the dough is not difficult, the process is easy and can be refined to your individual rhythm over time. Get a large bowl, one with a flat, wide bottom is ideal, place in the flour and make a well in the middle. Crack in the egg and a little bit of water. Start with a tablespoon of water and work your way up.

Many factors affect how much is absorbed by the flour you are using, patience is best with dough. With a fork, whisk the egg in the flour well, slowly adding little bit if flour in from the well sides as you mix. If you need more water add it in small increments. Once the dough is just coming together, knead it until it is smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes. Wrap the dough in a damp cloth or something that will maintain the moisture of the dough ball. Let the dough ball rest for about 15 to 20 minutes

Tea or coffee break.

Get the flour out and flour the surface you are going to be rolling the dough on. You can use a pasta machine if you have one of course. Take a section of the dough to work with, leaving the rest covered, and roll it out into a rectangular shape that resembles a very long lasagna sheet. You want the pasta sheet to be just slightly transparent. While rolling out your pasta, remember to use a decent amount of flour but try not to over flour as that can dry out the dough as well.

Now, there are a few methods to make the pasta pocket itself. One method is to cut squares, place the filling in the centre of the square and then fold the square in half, sealing the edges with a fork. I use a cookie cutter to out shapes that I enjoy and just check that all the edges are sealed correctly. If you find that the edges are not sealing, wet the tip of your finger with water and run a line on the seam of the pasta pocket. Seal now with a fork.