Few ingredients say Fall like sage and sweet potatoes. And gnocchi (a guilty carb-heavy pleasure) are such delicate little pillows of goodness that you’ll want fall to stick around forever.
A lot of people steer away from making homemade pasta, but these are so simple and such a treat that you’ll enjoy the few quick steps it takes to make them.
INGREDIENTS
2 medium sweet potatoes*
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 large egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small bunches fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup shaved high quality Parmesan
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
* You’ll need 1 and 1 half cups potato flesh so if your potatoes are on the smaller side, cook 3.
Pierce potatoes with a fork; place potatoes onto prepared baking sheet (or you’ll have sticky juice at the bottom of your oven).
Place into oven and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool completely.
Cut in half; scoop flesh into a medium bowl and mash.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups to a large bowl; stir in ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms, being careful not to over-knead. Just make sure there are no chunks. If you’re ambitious, you can pass the flesh through a sieve first.
Working on a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 20-inch long rope, about 1-inch in diameter, sprinkling with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into 3/4-inch bite-size pieces; transfer to baking sheet.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; working in batches, cook gnocchi until tender, stirring occasionally, about 4-6 minutes.
Drain well and transfer to clean rimmed baking sheet.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add gnocchi and cook until golden brown and crisp, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet over low heat, 1 tablespoon at a time, until butter starts to foam.
Add garlic and sage, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute - more if you like them a bit browned as I do
Stir in gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with a fresh sage leaf or two. Check the salt - you may need a little more.
Serve immediately, with a full-bodied, oaked Chardonnay, if you’re so inclined, like the Lloyd Carneros 2019.
Sweet!