Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi

I have been holding (ok, hoarding) sweet potato since October, hoping I could use it near the end of winter, and the time has come to make gnocchi!

Roasting sweet potato whole will give you the best flavour and right moisture content to make this dish work.

Gnocchi is a delicious Italian potato-based dough, that is shaped into a tiny pillow dumpling.

This dough contains both sweet potato and yukon gold potato, ricotta, flour and an egg yolk. Mixed together, rested, rolled, cut, boiled and pan fried- gnocchi are the perfect labour of love food.

Here is the gnocchi served with mushroom, spinach, feta, a poached egg and chili oil for a deliciously comforting homemade Saturday morning breakfast.

Boiled in salt water, then browned in aromatics of hot butter, garlic and herbs, they get crispy on the outside and stay soft and fluffy on the inside.

Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 1h, Dough: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Special Equipment: Cheesegrater/Potato Ricer

Ingredients

• 1 whole roasted sweet potato, skin removed (1 cup)

• 4-5 whole roasted Yukon gold potatoes (2 cups)

• 1 egg yolk

• 1/2 cup ricotta

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1 - 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour + more depending on humidity and more for dusting.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F place your sweet potato and whole potatoes on a baking sheet.

Slice the potato lengthwise down the middle, halfway through the flesh, to make it easier to separate the potato from its skin once it cooks.

Drizzle with vegetable oil and salt.

Roast for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let the potatoes cool down.

When cool enough to handle, remove the skin. If like me you don’t have a potato ricer, I grated my potatoes using a handheld cheese grater, on the small-middle sized grate. It’s a messy step but goes rather quickly.

Alternatively, if you have a potato ricer, time to dust it off and bust it out. Any lumps or bits of hardened potato can be set aside. Our goal is a uniform granule of soft roasted potato flesh.

In a large bowl, add both the potatoes and 1 cup of flour. Make a well in the centre and add your 1 egg yolk, 1/2 cup ricotta and seasoning

Starting in the centre of the well and using your fingers, mix everything together. Continue adding the 1/4 cup of flour needed, 1 tbsp at a time, until a soft dough form. You don’t want it to be sticky.

Let it sit in the bowl, covered, for approximately ten minutes.

---

Note: I’ve tested this recipe with both sweet pumpkin squash and sweet potato- and they both work! I don’t see why you couldn’t use any squash you have on hand for this recipe, as long as you follow the next step.

Squeeze out all the excess squash liquid, using a cheesecloth. You’re making a squash paste concentrate - no dilution, no water left. You can do this step a few times over while flipping the squash around in the cheesecloth. The more liquid you can extract out of the squash, the less flour you will need. With this crucial step, your final squash and potato gnocchi will reach its fluffiest potential.

---

Set up a large baking sheet with parchment paper - your cut gnocchi will rest here until they are ready to be cooked.

Time to knead the rested dough.

On a clean work surface, dust 2 tbsp of flour and place your ball of dough over it. Add another dusting of flour on top.

Using your pastry cutter cut it into 3 even sections. Ensure the cut ends of the dough balls get flour on them.

Working with one section at a time, knead it 3-5 times, adding a little bit more flour (if needed).

Next, roll it out with your hands into a long thread of dough. Starting in the middle, fingers spread apart, rolling back and forth, working your hands outwardly. Continue until you reach a uniform cylindrical shape throughout. Repeat with all sections.

Using your pastry cutter, cut all your gnocchi into equal size knubs and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all your gnocchi dumplings have been cut.

Leave them to air out on the counter until you’re ready to cook. Cover lightly with a dry tea towel.

Style Note: You can use a fork or gnocchi board to shape them. This gnocchi is rustic. Feel free to skip this step - your gnocchi will still be incredibly impressive and tasty.

Cooking Note: Gnocchi can be made 5-6 hours ahead of time. Do not freeze a squash gnocchi, the moisture that freezing brings will alter the shape and texture of your dough.

---

When you’re ready to cook, set up a pre-heated medium sauté pan and large pot of boiling and salted water.

Drop your gnocchi in the boiling water, in batches. Use an oil spider or slotted spoon. Let cook for 4-5 minutes or until they float to the top.

Once the water is boiling and the first batch of gnocchi goes in, preheat your sautée pan.

Add these ingredients to your pan for maximum flavour:

• 1/2 cup butter/olive oil combo

• 2 cloves of sliced garlic

• 1 tsp chili flake

Let the garlic, chili and butter cook down for 2-3 minutes.

Once your gnocchi starts to float to the top, using a slotted spoon, scoop them out and place them directly in the sauté pan.

The goal with the buttered pan is to get the gnocchi crispy on the outside - this means, let them sit and cook without touching them too much, and keep your heat high unless you need to adjust in between your batches.

Once all the gnocchi has been added and slightly browned,

Finish with:

• 4-6 chopped basil or fried sage leaves

• 1 cup of cooked and chopped bacon (optional)

• Toasted pine nuts, (optional)

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon or drizzle of balsamic vinegar to brighten all the flavours.

Homemade gnocchi is an excellent way to include your guests in the dinner making process for a weekend dinner party. It’s a classic and impressive dish that tastes incredible and now we know how to make it using a cheese grater instead of a potato ricer!

Bonne Bouffe!

-Véronique

---