Bonus Edition – Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Oil
Light, delicately flavored and oozing with all things autumn
I updated this article in November 2023. Please visit the following link to access the latest edition…and the updated recipes…
I create many recipes during any given month. It’s mostly precise work that requires a lot of note-taking and repetitiveness…and cleaning dishes.
Most recipes come together relatively fast. I rely a lot on my experience and the general knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years. Occasionally, though, a recipe turns into a special sort of adventure that consumes me.
For whatever reason, I don’t get something right – the texture, maybe the balance of flavors, or the accompanying bits. I become obsessed with working out the problem. I dream about it. I ponder my options while out jogging. I turn to research. And if I’m desperate for an idea, I turn to the internet.
Then I forget about it for one week.
After seven days, I look at the issue from a different perspective. Suddenly, the universe hurls an idea at me from…well, I don’t know where the idea comes from, it just lands inside me, and I rush to the kitchen for another go.
This was the journey I recently went on while attempting to come up with a sweet potato dumpling recipe that would go with a side of stewed collard greens. It was a nice idea. But I couldn’t get the dumpling to work out – to become airy and full of sweet potato goodness. It was always chewy, dense and not very tasty.
Seven days later, the universe hit me on the side of the head with an idea…think gnocchi and not dumpling! That immediately made sense to me. I’ve made potato gnocchi thousands of times in my life. I’ve made pumpkin gnocchi many, many times as well. And I knew the key was working with light fingers and not allowing too much gluten to develop when I mixed the flour into the potato or potato-pumpkin puree. And that changed everything in my sweet potato gnocchi (dumpling) quest.
The result surprised me. This sweet potato gnocchi recipe produces light gnocchi with a hint of resistant chew. The flavor reminds me of lightly roasted chestnuts with a drop or two of caramel. The aromas are not very intensive…perhaps mysterious in an irrelevant sort of way. And the color on the plate is a birch tree leaf in autumn.
I have no doubt this recipe will turn into a regular item that I repeatedly make…and I am thrilled to share it with the world!
I made a case for sweet potatoes in my latest newsletter if you’re looking for some additional information about this vegetable.
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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Oil
Sweet potato gnocchi is light, delicately flavored and highly satisfying to eat with a light sauce or with oil and sage leaves. Roasting sweet potatoes to produce the purée is my preferred method. Boiling or even microwaving sweet potatoes results in bland flavors…and I want my gnocchi to develop as much sweetness and flavor as possible – and that’s only achievable through roasting.
The flour and starch amounts I use in my recipe depend on the sweet potato used to make the puree. Some are drier than others and require less flour. Others might have more moisture and require additional flour to achieve the correct consistency. Unlike potato gnocchi, the dough for sweet potatoes is much softer. Work with light hands and a well-floured surface, and avoid putting too much flour in the dough, which will develop gluten and chewy consistency.
Make Ahead Note: Sweet potato gnocchi freeze very well. Portion pre-cooked gnocchi into freezer bags, seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Place frozen gnocchi into simmering, salted water for 3-5 minutes, then sauté as instructed.
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Gnocchi is one of my all time favorites! Can’t wait to try this!
Yum! It's definitely sweet potato time in my farmers market and this is a recipe I will have to try out. Thank you Jack!