Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Squash Court

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (37)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(37)

Cook Time:
1 hr 15 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Total:: 1 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

1 1/2 small butternut squash, halved and seeded
4 medium baking (russet) potatoes, pierced
1 egg
11/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pinch nutmeg
11/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional, for dusting
Oil
1 bunch sage, leaves chiffonade
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On a sheet pan, place the squash flesh side down and roast until very tender (about 45 minutes). At the same time, bake potatoes directly on the rack of oven for 1 hour.

Split the potatoes and allow to cool slightly, or until you can handle them. Don't let them cool completely. Scoop the flesh of the potatoes and the squash into a bowl and mash with a hand masher. Mix in the egg, salt and nutmeg. Then add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Do not do this in a mixer, it will overwork the dough. Add flour by the spoonful if it's still too moist.

Turn out onto a floured board and divide into 8 portions. Roll out into ropes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Line the pieces up on a floured sheet pan as you work. At this point you could freeze them on the pan until solid, then transfer to zip top bags and store in the freezer.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water gently drop in the dumplings. Don't overcrowd. As they begin to float, remove them with a slotted spoon and toss them into an ice bath.

Drain off the water and toss in a little oil. Store loosely in containers until ready to use.

To reheat, in a saute pan over high heat add 1 tablespoon of soft butter. Cook until the butter begins to foam and turn brown. Add 2 teaspoons sage leaves and 1 cup of dumplings. Cook for an additional minute until the dumplings are heated through. Repeat until you have desired amount of servings. Plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
Lauren Poway, CA 10-28-2009
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Use Fewer Potatoes and Follow David's Advice
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

Drain the squash on paper towels a la David's advice or if you have cheesecloth, squeeze some of the water out of the squash... using that. I have found that using so many potatoes also works with the flour in deadening the nice flavor of the squash--try two potatoes instead and then add flour to get a nice consistency. Also, be prepared to make many, many dumplings. I roast the squash one day and then make the dumplings the next so it's not such a project.Read more
recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
Andrew Dallas, TX 10-26-2009
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Not as easy as it looks...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

On TV this took like 5min, and I wasn't expecting that kind of speed but this is not really a beginner dish. I also found the... dough to be very wet and WAY more than what Alton had in his bowl. By my estimate I would have had about 12-14 servings. I am just going to assume I used 4 large potatoes and 1 large squash. After mixing about 2-3 cups of flour into the main bowl i decided to try to divide and conquer. I took about 1/4 of the mix worked with that adding more flour until I thought it was ready. Rolling this was next to impossible so my dough may have still been too wet. I was fully expecting this to be a huge disaster and I made a huge mess in the kitchen. This was after all my first attempt at gnocchi/dumplings. After the boiling and butter saute, salt, pepper and cheese these turned out really delicious. Read more
recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
M litt, CO 10-10-2009
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Very sticky and disappointed
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I thought this would be fantastic, I was really disappointed. The dough was very wet. I had to add alot more flour than the 1... 1/2 c. I added about 5 cups to get it almost to the right consistancy to handle. I gave up on it and didnt finish making them because the dough tasted like flour. Read more
recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
Deborah Minneapolis, MN 10-07-2009
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Wonderful
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

A knowledge of dumplings is helpful, but even with a bit of trial and error this is a very nice dish. Reminiscent of my... german grandmothers potato dumplings "snowballs" Those were topped with sauted bread crumbs. The sage and butternut squash give it a wonderful flavor. Anyway.... timewise, plan ahead and use this recipe for leftovers. Very easy and economical and you can make a smaller batch.Read more
recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
Taylor Studio City, CA 12-12-2008
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Use one 1pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise.
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

That is A SINGLE (ONE), ONE POUND (1 LB.) squash!! NOT a one and a half pound squash!! I suspect this confusion is the... cause of all the dissatisfied reviewers and all that extra flour. Watch the episode (Squash Court) on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgAJOnBkpAYRead more
recipe Butternut Dumplings with Brown Butter and Sage
Corey Huntsville, AL 12-11-2008
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Easy if you've made dumplings and gnocchi in the past
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The recipe could be a little clearer for those attempting something like this for the first time. Otherwise it's great! Like... any dumpling or gnocchi recipe, you have to know what to look for when adding flour. The "soft dough" should be similar to a homemade cookie dough. It is a moist dough that you'll need to work with lightly. Try finding an gnocchi "how to" video on Youtube. Also, the recipe calls for a SMALL butternut squash. Sometimes it's hard to find a small butternut squash. I used equal parts squash and potato (about 2.25 cups each) and set aside the extra squash. I loved the texture of these dumplings. The squash seemed to make them creamier then a traditional potato dumpling. It also added a bit more depth of flavor. I used olive oil instead of butter when I sauteed my dumplings. I don't care for sage so I sprinkled cracked black pepper, lemon zest and chopped garlic on after sauteing. This is a good recipe to play with and make your own.Read more