I don’t know about you girlies, but I L O V E sweet potato. So, when I came across this recipe, I was excited to try it out! I had never made gnocchi before, and trust me, it is not for the faint of heart. If you do not like carving a pumpkin because of the ooey-gooey guts of the pumpkin, you may need a friend to help you with this. Even though kneading the dough can be somewhat off-putting because of the stickiness of the dough, it is definitely worth it! The pasta was super yummy as well as the brown butter sauce. Warning: You will not be able to move after you eat this dish because of the thickness of the dough and the heaviness of the butter. Sweatpants will be utilized.
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as an appetizer
Prep time: 25 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes
Gnocchi Ingredients
1 pound sweet potato (about 1 large potato)
½ whole-milk ricotta cheese
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
¾ cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
Sauce Ingredients
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
¼ cup torn fresh sage leaves
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Recipe
- Poke the sweet potato all over with a fork, wrap it in a damp paper towel, and microwave on high until it is very soft, about 12-13 minutes.
- Peel and mash the flesh with a potato masher or ricer in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Stir in the ricotta, pepper (I prefer a pepper grinder, it is less sneezy!), and 1 teaspoon salt., then scatter the flower into the potato mixture. Mix with a fork until a doughy mixture forms that’s loose and shaggy but doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl; feel free to add more flour if necessary, but only 1 tablespoon at a time!
- Bring a gallon of water in a large pasta pot to a boil over high heat and salt to taste.
- While the water begins to boil, flour your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Make sure to flour your hands and gently knead the dough 10 times by folding the dough in half, pressing gently with the heel of your hand, and turning it 90 degrees each time. Do this until it is no longer sticky! Feel free to add sprinkles of flour, when necessary, but you do not want to over-flour because the less flour you use, the yummier the dough will be.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and gently roll them into balls. On a floured surface and using your hands, roll one ball of dough into a 12-inch-long, 1-inch-thick log. Use a paring knife to cut the dough crosswise into 12 1-inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough balls to form about 36 gnocchi.
- Drop the gnocchi into boiling water, stirring about every 1 minute to ensure they aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until they float to the surface (how cool is that?) for a few seconds and are tender-firm, about 4-5 minutes.
- It’s sauce time ladies! While the gnocchi are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. (Warning: There will be foam. Do NOT remove) When the foam subsides, add the sage and cook until nice and crispy and the butter is browned (hence the name “brown butter”), about 3 minutes.
- Back to the pasta. Drain the gnocchi, no rinsing necessary, and add to the skillet with your butter and sage mixture. Toss to coat in butter like a baddie, add the parm, and season to taste with salt…and peppahhh (Thank you John Mulaney, I can never say pepper the same way again).
- Finally, divide the yummy gnocchi concoction among bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese!
Enjoy and don’t forget to post to your socials to make all your friends jealous. :)