Weekly Dish

So, it turns out that I love to make gnocchi. After my frustrations with the little dumplings, I would never have thought I’d say that. But it’s true.

It also turns out, as luck would have it, that gnocchi works with another thing I love: sweet potatoes. After Ivonne’s recipe convinced me that gnocchi was doable, I decided to experiment a bit. My love of sweet potatoes has certainly not been a secret on this site, so this is one more recipe to add to the sweet potato collection.

For those of you who don’t know, gnocchi are little dumplings, usually made of potatoes and flour (although Ivonne convinced me that an egg is the magic thing to bind the dough together; I’ll never make gnocchi without the egg). They can be served with a sauce, or vegetables, or simply topped with butter and cheese.

For the sweet potato gnocchi? I opted for simplicity: a bit of garlic, a bit of freshly grated nutmeg, a bit of mascarpone, a bit of fresh Parmesan. All I can say is that I’m very sad I did not double the recipe to have leftovers. Yum!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2 medium-large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1 egg
1 t. salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups flour
3 T. butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 T. mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus extra to serve
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven until they are easily pierced with a fork, about an hour at 350 degree works for my oven. Set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or a fork. Be sure to get rid of any big lumps.

Mix the mashed potato with the egg; then, work in the flour with your hands, until the mixture sticks together and forms a dough-like ball (I started with 1 1/2 cups, but ended up using a little more than 2). On a floured work surface, knead the dough until it’s easily malleable but not sticky.

Form the dough into tennis ball-size rounds. Roll each ball into a long, snake-like coil, about an inch in diameter. Cut the coils into inch-long dumplings, sealing them with the back of a fork to make indentions. Put all the gnocchi in a bowl or on a tray, and refrigerate while you bring a large pot of water to boil.

When the water is boiling vigorously, add the gnocchi, one batch at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. When they float, they’re done; remove with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain and finish cooking the remaining gnocchi.

When all the gnocchi are cooked, drain the water from the pot, and heat the butter over medium-low (I use the same pot). Add the sliced garlic, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and Parmesan. Season with grated nutmeg and Kosher salt. When the sauce is well-mixed, pour over the gnocchi to coat. Top each serving with extra Parmesan and extra grated nutmeg. Serves 2 hungry people.
And, to make this dish even more satisfying, sweet potatoes, although heavy on the carbs, are also packed with Vitamin A, B6, and C, making this gnocchi a good candidate for ARF Tuesdays over at Sweetnicks!

Posted: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 at 4:45 pm Filed under: Vegetables, Pasta, Comfort Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.