Sweet Potatoes Are Not Just For Fries and Thanksgiving

Gnocchi are one of those things that, even though they require very few ingredients, they are seemingly impossible to make. And, they require special machinery (a potato ricer). But, the last issue of Gourmet that came to my house (sad) had this recipe for sweet potato gnocchi, and I decided I had to try them. The recipe calls for a potato ricer, which I do not have. Luckily, neither does Deb. She has a post about making gnocchi with a box grater. Rejoicing the work-around, I decided to give her method a try on Gourmet's recipe.

I must say, the process was trying. I feel like I needed a lot more flour than they called for, and eventually I decided to switch to potato flour. That said, I was careful to follow Deb's instruction to add it a little at a time and only add as much as necessary, so I don't think I over did it. Another problem: sweet potatoes are not exactly the same texture as russet potatoes, so it was impossible to get a completely uniform mix.

And, I know that I am a messy cook, but these were even more messy than most of my usual ventures (except perhaps the marshmallows).

But then there is the finished product. It's actually quite good. It's not amazing, it's not A Tavola, but it is something I am happy to have in my freezer. It might not even really be properly classified as gnocchi since they are sort of a finer texture version of hash browns. Also, one of the things that makes these delicious is that, when you put them in the skillet with the brown butter, they get a little crispy on the outside, which improves them even if it does make them more hash brown than gnocchi.


Moral of the story - I will try this method again with only russet potatoes. And, I will try to figure out a less greasy but still delicious sauce (The greasiness of the sauce probably just has to do with the fact that, though I tried, the sauce is not easy to prepare in single serving portions.)


(Source Gourmet: October 2009)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 lb. russet (baking) potatoes
- 3/4 lb. sweet potato
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg (I didn't have fresh nutmeg, so I used equal amount ground)
- 1 tsp. salt. + more for sauce if you want
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/3 cup Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting. (I am guessing I needed nearly 2 cups, but you just have to add it slowly. Deb says only add until the dough stops sticking to your hands. I stopped adding when it was still a little sticky and relied on the dusting to compensate.)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup sage leaves
- 1/3 cup bottled roasted chestnuts, thinly sliced (I did not use these because I don't really like chestnuts. I didn't substitute anything either...)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions:
1. Pierce the potatoes and bake in oven at 450 until just tender, (45 minutes to an hour).

2. Cool potatoes slightly, peel and grate. (Gourmet says to let potatoes cool completely, they were still warm but not very when I moved on). Spread the grated potatoes out on a sheet pan.

3. Beat (lightly) egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

4. Gather potatoes into a mound and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. Knead in cheese and flour. Don't overwork the dough, but keep kneading until it isn't sticky to the touch.

5. Cut dough into 6 pieces, and, one at a time, roll out the pieces into ropes that are 1/2 inch thing. Cut the rope every 1/2 inch (to get squares). Gently roll into balls and dust with flour.

6. Add ridges. I tried this step, but failed miserably. Basically, you're supposed to run the gnocchi down the back of a fork to give it ridges, but I couldn't make it work, so I gave up.

7. You can either cook or freeze the gnocchi at this point. I cooked the first 6 I made to make sure they were edible and froze the rest. If you decide to freeze, line a tray with parchment paper and put them on the tray so that they are not touching one another. Once they're frozen solid you can put them in a bag. I had some for dinner from the freezer tonight, they didn't suffer too much.

8. Prepare the sauce. Put the oil in a frying pan and flash fry the sage leaves. Gourmet says put the oil in a skillet and add the leaves once the oil starts to "shimmer." I'm not sure what that means - I waited for it to get hot and then put them in for just about 30 seconds each. Take out the leaves and fry the chestnuts in the same oil until they are golden and crisp (about 30 seconds). Gourmet says to do the sage and chestnuts in batches. Drain the nuts on a paper towel. Add the butter (and 1/2 tsp. salt says Gourmet) to the pan with the oil and cook it until golden brown.

9. Cook the gnocchi. Add half of the gnocchi to a pot of well salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to the surface (about 3 minutes). Transfer with a slotted spoon to the skillet with the butter sauce, coating them in the sauce over medium heat.

10. Serve with the nuts, sage, and Parmesan on top.