These bouncy gnocchi are savory with a touch of sweetness. You can easily make them in a different sauce than the butter-sage sauce shown below. I bet they would taste amazing in a parmesan sauce! Although it takes a while to make, it's a relaxing and fun activity (well to me anyway)! This recipe makes ~100-200 gnocchi, so feel free to double it and freeze the extra!
The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below:
Ingredients:
Gnocchi:
~17 oz. sweet potatoes or yams (440 g after peeled)
~6 oz. russet potatoes (145 g after peeling)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan of parmigiano reggiano cheese
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups flour (I needed ~300 g flour)
Sauce (for all the gnocchi):
4 Tbsp. butter (56 g)
12-15 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup finely diced onion or shallots
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Gnocchi:
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C. Cut the scrubbed potatoes in half and lightly coat in olive oil. Place cut side down onto a lined baking tray and bake 30-45 minutes, or until fork tender.
Allow potatoes to cool 30 minutes. Then remove the skin (and any layer that forms on the cut surface (this is a very tasty snack!))
Mash very well (NO lumps) by pass through a potato ricer, mashing with a fork, or using a food processor.
Add the egg, cheese, and salt to the potatoes and mix well.
Then mix in the flour, half a cup at a time (~50 g), until a soft dough forms that's damp but not sticky. You will know when it's ready if you touch it with the back of your hand and it's wet but doesn't stick.
Lightly flour a surface.
Take the dough out and cut the dough into 6-7 pieces. Cover them with plastic wrap or a bowl while you work on each piece.
Take a piece and roll it out until 1.5 cm or 1/2 inch thick logs. Cut into small 1 cm pieces, and roll them on a fork or by hand to form the gnocchi. Use minimal flour.
You can cook the gnocchi immediately or freeze them up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: first freeze in a single layer on a lined baking tray, then put into a container/plastic bag and place back in the freezer.
Sauce:
Prepare the sauce as you start boiling the water for the gnocchi. You will use 12 oz. (340 g) uncooked gnocchi for this much sauce
Add ~2 tsp. salt to your water. When the water is boiling, add the gnocchi in batches of about 20-40. Cook gnocchi until they float. Scoop out into a colander to drain and continue.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. When is starts to foam add the sage, and cook until the sage is crispy.
Then remove the sage (set aside) and add the minced onion. Fry about 5 minutes, allowing the butter to brown as you cook them.
Add the garlic and saute one minute.
Then take off the heat, add the cooked gnocchi and some of the water (about 1/2 cup) you boiled the gnocchi in, stirring to combine. You can put it back on the heat and fry 1-3 minutes if desired.
Serve with the reserved sage leaves and top with extra parmesan, if desired.
The Gnocchi:
Before roasting the potatoes.
After roasting, you should be able to pierce them easily with a fork.
After they cool, peel them and add them in the right proportion (2/3 sweet potato, 1/3 russet potato) to a blender or food processor, or mash them finely by hand.
Silky smooth!
Add it to a bowl with the cheese, salt, and egg yolk. Mix well.
After mixing. Now we start adding the flour!
After adding the flour and it's the right consistency. Now we can start shaping!
After cutting into 6 pieces. Cover these while you work on them one at a time or they will dry out.
Roll into a log shape.
Cut.
And shape! I went for small balls but you can roll them on a fork to get the signature ridges too!
Here they all are! You can cook them immediately or freeze as directed above.
The Sauce:
When you first add your gnocchi to the pot of boiling water they'll sink. When they rise to the top (next picture) you'll know they're ready!
Some of them have risen so they're ready! Strain immediately.
For the sauce add the sage leaves to melted butter.
Cook until crispy, remove, and set aside for later.
After removing the sage add the onion and cook.
After frying the onion and then adding the garlic and frying it about 1 minute. It's ready for the gnocchi!
Add the gnocchi, (you will have more in your pot than what's shown here). Cook more if desired. Season with salt and pepper and you're ready!
Gorgeous! It tastes good and it looks good!
The original recipe is here: http://saltandwind.com/recipes/50-sweet-potato-gnocchi-with-balsamic-sage-brown-butter-recipe