Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe
If you've never tried gnocchi...what are you waiting for?! Today I'm sharing my sweet potato gnocchi recipe. Gnocchi is a pasta, almost a dumpling made from potato, or in this case sweet potato, dough. While it seems as though there is a lot it's actually quite simple to make with very few ingredients, and can be dried and/or frozen for later use. One of our favorite ways to have it is with a pan toasted with mushrooms, sage and garlic. The sweetness from the potatoes and the savory from the herbs are a great combination. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1 1-2 lb sweet potato, or yam*
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting**
1/2 tsp salt
Potato masher or ricer
Dough scraper or knife
Gnocchi roller or fork
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce cleaned sweet potato multiple times with a fork and place sweet potato on a cookie sheet. Cook until softened, about 25-30 minutes. Remove potato from oven and let cool until it can be handled.
Once cool enough, pull off potato peel and mash with either a potato masher or ricer. On a floured surface combine potato, flour and salt. Knead dough together until well combined. If the dough is sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour until dough no longer sticks when kneaded.
Set aside an area or cookie sheet sprinkled lightly with flour to place gnocchi.
Using a knife or pastry cutter, cut dough into 3-4 sections for easier handling. One section at a time, roll dough into about a 1-inch thick rope. Using pastry cutter or knife again, cut rope into 1-inch chunks. Roll each cut piece over either a gnocchi roller, or along the tines of a fork to put grooves into it, (this helps sauces to stick to the gnocchi better). Dust each piece lightly with flour and set onto your dusted area or cookie sheet. Let rest for about 30 minutes.
Whenever you’re ready to cook your gnocchi, fill a large pot with water, sprinkle in some salt, (optional), and bring to boil. Once the water is boiling drop gnocchi into water using a slotted spoon, being careful not to splatter that water. Do not overcrowd the pot or it may take much longer for the gnocchi to cook.
The gnocchi will be finished cooking when they rise to the surface of the water, about 2-4 minutes depending on the water’s temp and your altitude. Remove with a slotted spoon as they rise to the surface.
At this point either use them right away or put them aside, drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on them and stir gently or toss to coat so gnocchi won’t stick together.
*Baked potatoes are better for gnocchi as they are drier than those that are boiled. You can use boiled potatoes, but they will require much more flour, and may not come to the same consistency as dough made with baked potatoes.
**How much flour you use may vary depending on a variety of conditions. Use more or less to get the right dough consistency.
As a side note - you can use regular potatoes in place of sweet potatoes for a less sweet dish.
