Don’t be intimidated, this homemade gnocchi is actually so easy to make! You simply mash together cooked sweet potato, flour, ricotta and an egg. Roll it out into a rope, cut into pieces and boil for a couple of minutes! The sauce though, that’s what really makes this dish. It’s been through many revisions and it is finally perfect. It’s a mix of golden browned butter, shallots and garlic with a hint of fragrant sage, plus some white wine to round together all of the flavors. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a White Wine Sage Butter Sauce

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes or yams (should yield about 1 1/2 cups when mashed)

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup whole milk ricotta

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp salted butter

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

• 1/3 cup white wine

• 5 oz box of fresh baby spinach

• Parmesan as a topping

Directions

1. Peel and roughly cut the sweet potato(s) into about 2-inch pieces. Place the pieces in a pot filled with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes until the pieces are soft enough to mash. Drain.

2. Add the sweet potato to a bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until smooth. This should yield about 1 1/2 cups when mashed. (If you don’t have en electric mixer, mash the potato using a masher or fork until smooth, then mix in the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to knead it all together). Slowly mix in the flour, ricotta, egg and salt until a rough ball of dough forms. Do not overmix. The dough should be a little sticky, but if it seems way too sticky and is not forming into a ball, add a little bit more flour at a time.

3. Dump the ball of dough onto a floured work surface. Divide it into four balls of dough. Beginning with one ball, roll it out into a long rope about 1-inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces. Dust the pieces with a little flour to prevent sticking. Repeat with your remaining three balls of dough. Leave your gnocchi on the table, or arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet while you prepare the sauce. (Don’t place the gnocchi in a bowl as they might stick together).

4. Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.

5. In a large pan over medium heat, add the butter, garlic, shallots, black pepper and red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until the shallots begin to turn golden brown. Add the sage and cook for a one more minute. Add the wine and cook for another minute, allowing the wine to reduce and thicken slightly. Add the spinach and 1/2 tsp salt and stir occasionally until spinach has welted.

6. Once your pot of water is boiling, add the gnocchi and boil until the gnocchi rise to the top, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the pan with the sauce. If sauce seems too thin, add some of the starchy pasta water to the sauce and mix until the gnocchi is coated. Add more salt and pepper if necessary and serve with some parmesan on top!