Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. Roasted, mashed, braised, stewed – I'll take them any way I can get them. And that's a good thing because they're brimming with fiber and powerful antioxidants, like beta carotene. On a recent Saturday, I decided to get creative and make gnocchi with a couple of HUGE sweet potatoes I had on hand. What a delight! The dough comes together in a snap and the only time-consuming (but fun) part is rolling it out and cutting it into little puffy balls of pasta. After I boiled them for a few minutes, I simmered the sweet and tender morsels in a mixture of broth, butter, sage and maple syrup. The sweet ingredients brought out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the savory ingredients (Parmesan cheese, sage, nutmeg) made the perfect contrast. I think you're gonna love this recipe! Let me know!
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until tender. When cool enough to handle, halve the potatoes and scoop out the flesh. Transfer the flesh to a large bowl and mash with a fork (it should measure about 2 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potato). Add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mash together until well blended. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 1-inch in diameter, adding more flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces and roll pieces over the tines of a fork to make slight indentations.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in three batches, boil the gnocchi until tender, about 4-5 minutes (they will float when finished). Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large baking sheet; tent with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining gnocchi.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet with high sides, combine the broth, butter, maple syrup and sage. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the gnocchi to the broth mixture and cook 2-3 minutes to heat through. Serve.