Making Homemade Gnocchi Is Way Easier Than You Think

There are certain recipes that, in their essence, give the impression they’ll require a lot of time and work — and homemade pasta is certainly one of those. But, we’re here to tell you that that couldn’t be farther from the truth, even for recipes that seem as complex as sweet potato gnocchi. Rather than always buying from the store or settling for a frozen version, you can easily make this dish at home from scratch. We promise you’ll never go back to store-bought again.

Vivian Chan walked us through the simple process during her Food Network Kitchen class for Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Crispy Pancetta and Sage, where she quickly combined already-cooked sweet potatoes, all-purpose flour, salt and an egg to create a bouncy dough perfect for fluffy, pillowy gnocchi. The secret to making this recipe with ease is a few simple gadgets you probably have on-hand.

First, you’re going to want to rice your potatoes after they’ve roasted in the oven. This step might seem tedious, but it will break down your potatoes into a smooth paste that will incorporate into your dough nicely. Don’t let not having a ricer on-hand stop you, though — Vivian offered some alternative gadgets including a box grater, which you can use to break down the potatoes, or a colander, which you can press the potatoes through with a silicone spatula.

Once you’ve combined your smoothed sweet potatoes, flour, salt and egg, you want to gently fold the mixture together first with a spatula then with your hands on a floured surface. If your dough is still sticking to the counter, you’re going to want to bring out your bench scraper, which is handy for keeping your dough together and for cutting the rolled dough into ideal-sized pieces of gnocchi.

Whether you’re coating the cooked gnocchi with your favorite sauce or going with Vivian’s brown butter crispy pancetta and sage topping, you’re going to end up with a dish you’re proud of making from scratch.

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