Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Make these sweet potato gnocchi from scratch and toss them in brown butter with crispy sage. They taste like restaurant food, but you made them yourself!
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Food mill or potato ricer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large pot (8-quart)
- Large skillet (12-inch)
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
- 3 medium sweet potatoes about 2lb
- 2/3 cup ricotta cheese drained
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more for serving
- 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
For the Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Turn your oven to 375°F. Poke 3 medium sweet potatoes with a fork, put them on a sheet pan, and bake for 1 hour.
- Rice the potatoes: When they're cool enough to touch, cut them open and scoop out the soft inside. Push it through your ricer into a big bowl.
- Mix the dough: Add 2/3 cup drained ricotta, 1 egg yolk, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 cup flour. Mix it all together.
- Adjust consistency: Sprinkle in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour, a little at a time. Stop when your dough feels soft and just a tiny bit sticky.
- Roll and shape: Put some flour on your counter. Grab some dough, roll it into a rope about 1/2-inch thick, cut 1-inch pieces, and roll each down your fork.
- Arrange gnocchi: Put your shaped gnocchi on a floured sheet pan. Keep them in one layer so they don't stick while you finish making the rest.
- Boil water: Get a big pot of salty water boiling while you make the brown butter sauce in your skillet.
- Make brown butter: Melt 1/2 cup butter in your big skillet over medium heat. Let it foam up, then watch for brown bits to appear. Swirl the pan gently.
- Fry sage leaves: Drop 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves into the brown butter and let them fry for about 20 seconds. Pull them out with tongs and set aside.
- Cook gnocchi batches: Work in batches. Drop some gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until they float up. Scoop them out with your slotted spoon.
- Finish and serve: Put your brown butter back on low heat. Add the cooked gnocchi and let the edges brown just a bit. Top with crispy sage and Parmesan. ENJOY!
Notes
- Baking sweet potatoes gets rid of extra water, so your gnocchi turns out light and fluffy instead of dense and heavy.
- Use that ricer or food mill! If you just mash with a fork, you'll get gluey, tough gnocchi that aren't fun to eat.
- Start with less flour than you think you need. Add more slowly. Too much flour makes tough gnocchi that taste bad.
- Freeze uncooked gnocchi in a pan first, then put them in a container. Cook them straight from frozen whenever you want them.
- Making gnocchi with friends or family is super fun! Everyone can help roll them. Don't worry if they're not perfect-looking.