Sweet Potato Gnocchi

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Beautiful sweet potato gnocchi have a big wow factor, but they are not hard to make. Just set aside some time on a weekend afternoon and by evening, a platter of golden orange gnocchi bathed in a savory sage sauce will be gracing your dining room table.

Prep Time2 30

Cook Time15

Resting Time1

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Domenica Marchetti

Equipment

Ingredients

For the gnocchi:

2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to season cooking water

For the sauce:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
20 Fresh sage leaves
Freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Instructions

Roast the sweet potatoes. Heat the oven to 400° F. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and prick a few holes in them with a fork. Bake until completely tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
Cool and drain the sweet potatoes. Slice them open with a knife and let them cool briefly. Line a colander with a double layer of cheesecloth or paper towels and scoop the flesh into it. Squeeze or pat out as much liquid as you can. This step will rid the sweet potatoes of excess moisture and is especially important if you’re using moist, orange-fleshed potatoes. Let cool until barely warm.
Rice or mash the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the 2 cups flour on a clean work surface. Measure out 2 full cups (about 1 pound) of the sweet potato flesh and feed it through a potato ricer onto the floured work surface. Or use a potato masher or a fork to mash the potatoes in a bowl and turn them out onto the work surface (reserve any leftover sweet potato for another use).
Make the gnocchi dough. Sprinkle all but 1/4 cup of the remaining flour around the potato mound. Make a well in the mound and add the egg and salt. With a fork, whisk the egg and salt together and begin to incorporate the potatoes and flour. Use a dough scraper to “chop” through the dough to help bring the ingredients together without overmixing. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup flour over the dough mass and very lightly knead and pat the mixture until it forms a soft, shaggy ball. It should feel slightly tacky, maybe even a bit sticky. If the dough is too sticky to work, sprinkle in a little more flour, but be careful not to add too much, or to over-knead, as the dough will only get stickier as it continues to absorb flour. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel.
Shape the gnocchi. Line two rimmed baking sheets with clean towels and lightly dust with flour. Have ready a fork or wooden gnocchi board for making grooves in the gnocchi. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the work surface. Slice off a tangerine-size piece of dough and gently roll it out into a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter. Use the dough scraper or a knife to cut the rope into 1-inch nuggets. Sprinkle them lightly with flour. Roll the pieces of dough down the curved tines of the fork or down the length of the gnocchi board to create an indentation on one side and grooves on the other. Set the gnocchi on a prepared baking sheet, taking care to keep them separated. Continue to cut and shape the remaining dough, setting the gnocchi on the baking sheets as you work. You should end up with about 175 to 200 gnocchi.
Let the gnocchi dry. Let the trays sit uncovered for about an hour; this will help to form a “skin” on the surface of the gnocchi, which will keep them from sticking when cooked. If not cooking within a couple of hours, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator or in a cold spot. They will keep for several hours. Cook them directly from the refrigerator.
Boil a pot of water and warm a serving bowl. While the gnocchi are resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat, and add a tablespoon of salt. Place a large serving bowl in the oven and turn the oven on to its lowest setting to warm the bowl.
Make the sauce. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and begins to foam, add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, pressing down on the cloves to infuse the oil and butter. Don’t let the garlic brown. When you can smell the garlic’s aroma, remove the cloves and stir in the sage leaves, Cook on medium-low until wilted and just starting to crisp—about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan.
Cook and serve. When the water is boiling, carefully drop in the gnocchi. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. As the water returns to a boil the gnocchi will start floating to the surface. Let them boil gently for about 3 minutes, just enough to make them tender, but still the slightest bit firm, with no taste of raw flour (taste one to make sure). Use a skimmer to transfer the gnocchi to the warmed serving bowl. Spoon half the sauce on top, adding a little cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce. Toss gently and slide the bowl back into the oven. Cook the remaining gnocchi and transfer them to the warmed bowl. Spoon the rest of the sauce on top, adding more cooking water if needed to coat the gnocchi. Sprinkle Parmigiano cheese on top and serve.

Notes

Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
Best sweet potatoes for gnocchi? Slender and long in shape, Garnet sweet potatoes have bright orange flesh that is super sweet and smooth when cooked. For gnocchi with that glowing orange hue, this is your best bet. Just know that because garnet sweet potatoes have a fair amount of moisture, they need to be drained. Rounder and fatter Beauregard and Jewel sweet potatoes have pretty orange flesh. They can be more fibrous than the Garnet variety, so be sure to rice or mash them thoroughly. You can also use white or purple sweet potatoes to make sweet potato gnocchi of different hues.
Really drain those potatoes. Sweet potatoes, especially the less-starchy, orange-fleshed ones, hold a lot of moisture. Not draining them properly after baking will result in sticky dough that requires extra flour, which will make the gnocchi gummy.
Go light on the flour. As with potato gnocchi, too much flour can make sweet potato gnocchi dense, gummy, and tough. Start by incorporating 2/3 of the flour and add more as needed. Add just enough for the dough to form a compact ball. It should stay together and is slightly tacky but not too sticky. Always use a light hand when mixing gnocchi ingredients. No heavy kneading here!
Taste test the gnocchi. Whether you’re making classic potato gnocchi, ricotta gnocchi, or sweet potato gnocchi, it’s always a good idea to test cook a small sample to make sure the dough is the right consistency. Roll out a few and cook them in a pot of boiling water. The gnocchi should be light but not insubstantial.
Storage: Store gnocchi for up to several hours in the refrigerator. For longer storage, line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean tea towel and coat it with flour. Arrange the gnocchi on the baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Freeze until solid (a couple of hours). After that, you can transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and return them to the freezer for up to a month. Do not defrost the gnocchi before cooking them; just plunge them into a pot of boiling water and cook as directed. You may need to extend their cooking time briefly, but not much.
Serving size: This recipe makes about 200 gnocchi, which can serve up to 8 people with 25 gnocchi per person. However, if you cut the gnocchi in larger pieces, you will end up with fewer gnocchi, so assume this recipe serves 6 to 8 people based on how you cut your gnocchi. The nutritional information is based on 8 servings.

Nutrition

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