Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Well I have been away and perhaps some of you were wondering where I went? No where is the correct answer! But my mom and step dad flew in for the Halloween weekend. And my mom stayed a few days later. So while I did cook some stuff while they were here, I did not photograph or blog about it. So I am sorry. And my husband is staying with his mother for a few days which leaves me with the kids at home. And this means I get to try a few food items that my husband is not particularly fond of or wouldnt be thrilled to try them. This happens to be one of those events. He likes regular gnocchi but I am not so sure he would want sweet potato gnocchi.

For those of you who do not know what gnocchi is, it is an Italian potato dumpling and pronounced "nee-o-key" It is made mostly from mashed potatoes and a little flour. It is rolled out into long cords and then cut off in 1/2in pieces and boiled in water for a few minutes and then coated in some kind of sauce. You can find prepackaged ones in most grocery stores. Some of them are regular and some are made with whole wheat flour. These need to boil a little longer just like dried pasta vs fresh pasta.

I have been wanting to make gnocchi for some time now. I have been a little scared. When I first started learning how to make gnocchi everything talks about how temperamental it is and how time consuming so I put it off. But in the last year it has looked easier and easier and with more knowledge about the product it is easier to find more recipes for gnocchi.

And now that its fall....whats better than a sweet potato? Or a pumpkin? Or butternut squash? I had some sweet potatoes in my pantry so we went with that but any of these three veggies would be great in the recipe.

Recipe:
4 sweet potatoes (mine were small)
2-3c all purpose flour
1/2t nutmeg or cinnamon (I used nutmeg)
1/2t salt

Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour or until cooked. Let cool and remove skins.

Place in a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add 1c flour and seasonings and mix well. Add another cup of flour and mix well. If dough is still sticky add 1/4-1/2c flour at a time until dough is no longer sticky. Form into a ball. Cut the ball into 1/4 sections.

Take 1/4 of the dough and cut in half. Make sure everything is floured well and begin to roll the dough either on the counter or between the palms of your hands until the dough resembles a rope. The rope should be about 1/2in thick.

Using a butter knife or other blunt object cut dough into 1/2in pieces.

 Place dumplings on a floured baking sheet until all gnocchi is cut.

Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add gnocchi and cook for only 2-3 minutes or until they float or dumplings get darker in color and look cooked.

At this point if you have too many gnocchi for the people you are serving place on a baking sheet and freeze them individually. Make sure gnocchi is not touching other gnocchi so they dont stick. Once the gnocchi are frozen transfer them to a freezer bag.

I froze half of mine and ate the other half. So the sauce recipe is geared for half of the gnocchi.

Sauce:
1/2 stick butter
4T olive oil
1/2t black pepper
1-2T chopped fresh sage

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Once melted add pepper and sage.

Add cooked gnocchi to the pan and Saute until the gnocchi firm up slightly.

Turn heat off and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

This turned out fabulously! I was super excited. And the best part is there is more in the freezer for a later date....without the hassle of making gnocchi!! Do remember that these are dumplings. They should taste airy and like a little cloud in your mouth. They should not be too dense or doughy or tough. They should not be that heavy either. So do not treat them like a pasta dough that should firm up. These should firm up slightly on the outside to hold their shape.....thats enough!  Hope you enjoy!!