Sweet Potato Gnocchi
I’m not sure if my Nonnina would be shaking a finger at me for not making gnocchi the traditional way or if she’d be proud of me for trying something different! I’d like to think it’s the latter.
My Nonnina was raised in Messina, Sicily and that alone should explain my love of GOOD food… it’s in my blood! Italians are known for their pastas and sauces and the ways they mix flavors together. I feel so fortunate to have been raised with the influence of Italian culture, it plays a big role in the meals I make today. More often than not our home smelled like garlic and onions being sautéed and family parties had tables lined with from-scratch Italian meals that could have fed a small village.
Many years ago my mom made me a book of all my favorite recipes she makes. One of them is her recipe for brown butter sauce with sautéed garlic, tomatoes, and basil. It’s so simple yet explodes with flavor. Gnocchi (even when made with sweet potatoes) is rich and filling by itself, so the lightness of the brown butter sauce is a perfect compliment.
I took classic gnocchi and added a twist by using sweet potatoes. However, in keeping with traditional gnocchi, this Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe has only three ingredients.
For the Gnocchi:
2 medium sweet potatoes
3 cups flour (1/2 for dusting)
3 teaspoons salt
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake sweet potatoes for 45-50 minutes, or until tender. You’ll know they are done when you can press a fork into them rather easily. Set potatoes aside on a cooling rack.
2. Combine the salt and 3 cups of flour. Flour a work surface and pour your mixture onto the surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
3. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and place one by one in a potato ricer. If you don’t have a potato ricer, simply put them in a large bowl and mash with a fork. You’ll want little to no lumps.
4. Once all of the potato has been riced, flour your hands and begin working the sweet potato into the flour. Continue to work the mixture until it’s fully combined. You don’t want the dough to be sticky so keep adding flour until you get a nice dry dough. This could take more flour depending on the size of your potatoes.
5.Once fully combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a long log that’s about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut pieces the gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Gently toss each piece into flour to ensure that it’s dry and not sticky at any edges. Continue until you’ve cut out pieces from all of the dough.
6. You have the option of using a gnocchi board, or pressing a fork into each piece of gnocchi to create grooves.
To cook the gnocchi:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully place the gnocchi into the boiling water and then reduce to low/medium heat. Once the gnocchi have all risen to the top, use a slotted spoon and remove.
2. In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and transfer gnocchi to that pan.
3. Gently move the gnocchi around until lightly brown on each side. Turn heat off and let sit.
You can choose your sauce or topping, but this is one I used:
Brown butter sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped basil
1. Melt the butter on low/medium heat, stirring continuously; you don’t want your butter to burn.
2. Once the butter is melted and a light brown color, add olive oil, garlic and sauté. Again, you don’t want the butter or garlic to burn, so keep moving it around.
3. Toss in tomatoes, turn down heat and bring to a simmer.
4. Let simmer for 15 min, stirring every few minutes.
5. Add basil, stir, and let sit for another 5 minutes.
What I like to do is take the sauce directly from the pan it cooked in and pour it on top of the gnocchi. Then turn the heat on low, mix everything together and let that simmer for another few minutes so the flavors have a chance to combine with the gnocchi.
You can grate a little parmesan on top, and voila, you have a delicious meal!
Buon Appetito!
