I’ve accomplished the time consuming, yet somewhat simple task of rolling out homemade gnocchi several times before, and felt that it was time to work on my technique once again. This time, I chose a sweet potato gnocchi (yum) and cooked it up with some sage and brown butter. Oh my… you don’t have to imagine. You can devour this too! We sure did…

Gnocchi (/ˈn(j)ɒki/ N(Y)OK-ee, /ˈnoʊki/ NOH-kee, /ˈnɔː-/ NAW-; Italian: [ˈɲɔkki], singular gnocco) are various thick, small, and soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and/or similar ingredients, and possibly including flavorings of herbs, vegetables, cocoa, or prunes. The dough for gnocchi is most often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces about the size of a wine cork. The little dumplings are then pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges that can hold sauce. Alternatively, they are simply cut into little lumps. Gnocchi are usually eaten as a replacement for pasta in the first course, but they can also be served as a contorno (side dish) to some main courses.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi & Brown Butter Sage

12 oz. cooked sweet potato (peeled and chopped) – about 1 giant sweet potato
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
sea salt
4 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. fresh sage leaves
freshly ground black pepper
shaved parmesan cheese

Mash the sweet potato until somewhat smooth. Fold in the egg and flour until well combined, with a fork. Ditch the fork and then roll into a dough ball with your hands. Divide into 4ths, and roll each fourth out into a long rope. Cut each rope into 1″ lengths and roll over the back of a fork to create ridges (sauce collecting mechanism) in the gnocchi.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon as soon as the gnocchi rises to the surface.
Discard the water and melt the butter in the pot. Add the sage leaves and saute until crispy brown, at a very low heat – browning the butter should be done at a low heat to prevent the butter from burning. Eventually, as the butter begins to brown and the sweet, nutty fragrance ensues, add the drained gnocchi and fry in the browned butter until a little crispy on each side.
Remove and serve garnished with freshly ground black pepper and shaved parmesan cheese.