Tonight I transported myself to 2006. I spent that year working as a waitress at a small hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in Pennsylvania, earning tips that were considered high at the time. The only cooking my job involved was making salad, but I spent time watching my boss make pasta from scratch day after day.
So tonight I embarked on a journey: making sweet potato gnocchi. I’d never done it before and had no clue what I was doing. But there comes a time when you just need to get your hands doughy.
I skimmed a few recipes online and constructed my own. I started by peeling and chopping two large sweet potatoes, placing them in a glass bowl and microwaving them for nearly 10 minutes until they were mashable.
While those were cooking, I got my other ingredients ready. I decided I would add mushrooms, kale and swiss chard to my pasta dish while incorporating a garlicky-sage sauce.
I like to mash my potatoes with a meat pounder. I do not recommend this. It is annoying, taxing and your neighbors will hate you. I eventually gave up and threw everything into my Vita-Mix blender, which did the job in under one minute.
Then it was time to roll the dough. Make sure your surface has plenty of all purpose flour.
This can get pretty sticky. My entire body was covered in flour by the end of this process.
Next, shape the dough into two long “snakes.” Then cut to whatever size you prefer. Mine ended up being a bit too large, so I’d recommend cutting them into smaller pieces. For a little design, I pressed the top with a fork.
Place in boiling water and watch and see which one floats first. That’s how you know they’re done.
Meanwhile, I got my vegetables cooking. I added a little bit of butter, tons of vegetable broth, garlic, sage, pepper and some parmesan cheese. Don’t worry – I’ll post a recipe at the end with more accurate measurements!
The end result? Not only pleasing to the eye – but the stomach. I was amazed at how good my gnocchi came out, especially because it was only a combination of flour + sweet potatoes. I meant to add salt and pepper but forget during the annoying mashing incident.
I sort of like the way my gnocchi still looks like a sweet potato.
A beautiful meal. I must admit I’m pretty proud that I tried something new – and on a Monday!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a Garlicky-Sage Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1.5 cups flour
- salt, pepper
- kale
- swiss chard
- mushrooms
- garlic (fresh)
- olive oil (enough to coat pan – not too much)
- sage
- 1/8 tablespoon butter (could use less or omit, if you want)
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (I used reduced fat, it was good)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Gnocchi Instructions
1. Peel and cut two large sweet potatoes. Microwave until tender (about 10 minutes, depending).
2. While those are cooking, boil some water in a pot.
3. Mash with a fork or use a blender, mixer. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time, mixing with a spoon. Repeat until all the flour has been added. You may need more or less, depending on the size of your potatoes.
5. Transfer the dough to a flat surface that is well-floured. Roll into a ball.
6. Divide the dough into two logs. Cut evenly; I’d recommend about an inch wide or less.
7. Press the tops with a fork.
8. Drop the gnocchi into your pot one at a time. Be sure that none touch. You will have to do this in stages because your pot won’t be large enough.
9. Wait until it floats, and then you know they’re done!
The Sauce
1. Sautee the olive oil, garlic, butter, sage, salt and pepper for a minute or so.
2. Add the vegetables and broth.
3. Let it cook until wilted and then add the parmesan cheese. You may need to add more broth depending on how thick or thin you’d like the sauce.
4. Serve over your gnocchi!
Phew! What a fun dinner!
