I’ve been thinking about this recipe since I first made it for Christmas Eve dinner.  I admit it – I’m obsessed.  But sweet potatoes take so much of the starchy heavyness out of gnocchi (though they are still quite toothsome) and the ricotta further lightens them up.  Then sage and brown butter, plus a few slivered almonds?  Elegant, and delicious.

I also loved that the gnocchi could be made several hours in advance – a lifesaver for this mutli-course meal.  (They were a first course – to follow was my mothers beef braciole, roasted beets and kale, and my Nana’s fig cakes)

This was a first attempt at pasta making for me – not as scary as I had feared. I’m still guessing at the purpose of the fork in rolling out the dumplings, but they looked about right, so I was happy.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Sage, and Almonds [Download PDF]

Based on a recipe from Bon Appétit

makes: 10 to 12 servings

ingredients:

2 pounds yams, rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
12 ounces fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish
½ cup slivered almonds

how to:

Bake sweet potatoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool. (they can also be microwaved)

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and discard skins.  Transfer 3 cups of potato to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg.  Mash to blend together.  Mix in flour ½ cup at a time until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces.

With a fork sitting tines up on the cutting board, push your thumb into each dumpling, rolling it off the edge of the fork to create an indented roll.  Transfer the pieces to the parchment sheet, and cover with a towel.  Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet covered in parchment or wax paper. Let cool – they can sit out for up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage  – the butter will bubble.  Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.  With the remaining butter, toast the almonds slightly.

Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves and almonds.