Happy chef!
Autumn has already arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. Not many leaves have changed color yet but we’re getting plenty of cool and wet days. So let’s warm you up with some comfort food. This dish feels like Autumn to me. Maybe it’s the color of the sweet potatoes that make it feel that way.
Making your own gnocchi takes a little time and practice but it really is not difficult and once you start to get the hang of it, it is great fun. If you want to double or triple the fun, make them with some friends or family. Or even more fun still, hire me (Frankie) to come and do a cooking class party in your home!
Peeled sweet potatoes
There are really two different recipes here, one for making the gnocchi, and the other for the way I recently made mine with Butter, Pancetta, Onions and fresh Sage. I wanted something that would complement, not overwhelm, the flavor of the sweet potatoes, and this really turned out great. If you wanted to make this vegetarian you could leave out the pancetta; and if you wanted it completely vegan, leave out the butter and use only a good extra virgin olive oil.
Using a potato ricer
If you’ve never made gnocchi be sure to read the Tips for Making Homemade Gnocchi before you launch into the recipe.
The key is getting the dough right… not too moist… not too dry. I instruct you add most of the flour but then you add more as needed until you get just past the point of the dough being sticky. You don’t want to overwork it or it will get tough. You want it
Adding flour
to be no longer sticky but still supple, workable, and holding together (not crumbly). I can’t tell you exactly how much flour because different potatoes will have different moisture levels depending on the type of potato, the baking, etc. Besides, the amount of potato may vary also. If your weight is a little over or under, just adjust the other ingredients accordingly.
Mixing dough
A Couple of tools are really handy when making gnocchi. Using a potato ricer helps so the potatoes are not lumpy which will cause them to crumble. Most cost under $25 and they are awesome to use when making mashed potatoes. If you don’t have one, just mash the potatoes well.
Form a ball
Rolling dough
Cutting dough
Adding ridges with gnocchi board
The other tool is a gnocchi board, used for putting ridges on the gnocchi. These are only about $6 on Amazon. Order it today and you’ll have it in a day. Here is the one I bought…
Finished gnocchi
Another tip or two:
- Instead of cutting the dough into balls, it will make it easier to roll out if you cut it in longer, narrower pieces.
- Also, if you over-flour the work surface it will make the dough harder to roll. It will want to just slide around under your hands.
HOW I SERVED MY SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI:
Making the butter, pancetta, onion, sage sauce
As mentioned earlier I wanted something that would complement, not overwhelm, the flavor of the sweet potatoes. A very common way to serve potato gnocchi in Italy in with a simple butter and sage sauce. I wanted to take it to another level so I added pancetta (Italian bacon) and onions to that. There are lots of other good ideas online. A friend told be about a sauce she did with butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cranberries, and pecans. Sounds great, and the sweetness would work with these.
Vegetarian Option: Easy just leave out the pancetta.
Vegan Option: Our granddaughter is vegan. They don’t do butter. For her’s we simply eliminated that in favor of a good extra virgin olive oil (or walnut oil would be excellent).
Recipes are following. If you’d prefer recipes in PDF format click below
Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe PDF
Buona sera. May God richly bless your table with joy, laughter, and his abundant love!
Frankie
Frankie at Home in the Kitchen 