Gnocchi are comforting, tender little Italian dumplings. Traditionally, white potatoes are used to make gnocchi. But sweet potatoes work as well, and are more nutritious and flavorful. We roast the sweet potatoes because they develop a nicely caramelized flavor and are drier than boiled and mashed sweet potatoes.
Serve gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce with Sage (see sidebar, here), our favorite. Or simply with butter or extra-virgin olive oil and topped with freshly ground black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese. And then there’s pesto or tomato sauce or red pepper sauce, Alfredo sauce … whatever suits your fancy.
If you have leftover gnocchi, reheat very gently in a pan or microwave.
Serves about 6
Time: 1½ hours, including sweet potato roasting time and gnocchi cooking time
1 pound sweet potatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 lightly beaten egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
Roast the whole sweet potatoes in a 425°F oven until soft. Split open and scoop out the flesh into a bowl large enough to accommodate all the ingredients. Discard the skins. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool for a few minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and then keep it simmering on a back burner until the gnocchi are ready to cook.
Mash the sweet potatoes and stir in the salt, nutmeg, Parmesan, and egg. Add the flour and stir well. You may be tempted to add more flour, but don’t; this is a soft dough and too much flour will result in rubbery gnocchi.
Cut the gnocchi dough into 4 equal pieces and, using a rubber spatula, scoop out one-quarter of the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, roll out a ½-inch-thick “snake.” Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Cut each of these snakes into ½-inch-long pieces. You can leave the pieces as they are, or gently roll each piece between floured fingers or palms to round the edges, or press each piece gently with the back of a fork, making impressions with the tines. Place the pieces on a big tray or baking sheet.
The gnocchi take only a few minutes to cook. Bring the water back to a rolling boil. You may need to cook in a few batches depending on how big your pot is. Drop the gnocchi a few at a time into the boiling water; you want the water to keep boiling. When the gnocchi float to the surface, scoop them out with a mesh strainer, place in a bowl with a bit of butter or olive oil, and cover to keep warm. When they’re all done, serve at once.
Serve tender Sweet Potato Gnocchi with the topping or sauce you like (see headnote). And on the side, a salad with some fresh raw texture, like Jason’s Fresh Fennel Apple Slaw, or a vegetable that offers a contrast in sweetness, such as Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Almonds.
BROWN BUTTER SAUCE WITH SAGE
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves, torn in half (optional)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
In a small pan on medium-low heat, bring the butter to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn brown. Remove from the heat before the butter burns. Stir in the sage leaves and vinegar.