Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Cream Sauce

Now that school has started again, summer freedom is gone, and I have a to-do list that’s longer than my grocery list, most of my cooking is confined to week night meals, packed lunches, and occasional Betty Crocker box mixed brownies.

Real life is rough man. Although, sweet potato gnocchi goes pretty far in making things a little easier.

Oh, and I forgot to mention… there are buttered pecans.

Due to this increasingly oppressing to-do list, I’ll be passing along recipes for a lot more meals (rather than desserts). I’ve been trying to channel my energies into making things that are practical and especially things that can be frozen for later in the week. These gnocchi are just the thing. The recipe makes an abundance, so leftovers can be frozen, then all they need is sauce, preferably this sage cream sauce. My friend Emily suggested the combination (and provided the recipe links), and I will be forever in her debt.

These gnocchi are like heaven in my mouth. And the creamy, buttery, melt in your mouth goodness of the sauce? Mmmmm. All it needs is a glass of cold, crisp white wine, and it’s perfection. Although, if you’re like me, you’ll probably just eat them out of the pan, not waiting for a drink, or a plate for that matter.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
serves 6-8, from Macheesemo

2 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 1/2 – 2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
Pinch of salt

Boil a large pot of salted water, meanwhile peel and cut sweet potatoes into 2 inch cubes. Boil sweet potato cubes until tender, around 20 minutes and remove from water into a bowl lined with a paper towel to drain. Allow potatoes to rest for a few minutes before transferring into a large bowl. Mash potatoes with a large fork until smooth, then move to the refrigerator for around 30 minutes to cool.

Once sweet potato mash has cooled remove from fridge and mix in egg. Add flour, quarter cup at a time, until a very soft but manageable dough forms (1 1/2 cups was about right for my 2 medium sweet potatoes, I also used a mixer at this point).

Pull out about a handful of dough at a time. On a well-floured surface roll dough into a long snake, maybe a 1/2 inch thick, and chop dough into half inch sections. Roll each gnocchi over the tines of a fork to create classic ridges (or if you’re lazy, simply press the fork tines into the top of the gnocchi, or leave this step out altogether). Here’s a good time to make your sauce (recipe below).

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer, NOT a boil, and drop in a handful of gnocchi. Scoop out with a slotted spoon when they float and drop into prepared sauce.

Form any remaining dough into gnocchi shape, then place on a pan in the freezer. Once gnocchi are frozen remove from pan and store in a plastic freezer bag. When ready to bake later just pull out of the freezer and drop straight into simmering water.

Sage Cream Sauce
From Epicurious

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves

3/4 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in pan over medium heat and add in pecans. Stir pecans until slightly darker and fragrant, then remove pecans from pan and set aside. Add shallots and sage to butter and saute until tender, around a minute. Add white wine and cream then bring to a simmer and allow sauce to reduce by about half, maybe 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add in Gnocchi and top with pecans.

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