Sweet potatoes always remind me of
autumn, my favorite season. Every year while I was growing up, from
October through November and even on into December, my mom always had
a plethora of sweet potato pies ready to consume at a moment's
notice. While many people tend to immediately associate pumpkin with
autumnal cuisine, the sweet potato holds just as much importance for
me and other Southerners.
In a previous blog entry, I touted the
virtues of store-bought gnocchi, and while I still possess absolutely
no qualms about grocery store shortcuts, homemade gnocchi are
absolutely divine – and not as difficult to make as you might
imagine. If you can make dough and boil water, then you can prepare
gnocchi. These gnocchi are especially easy to make and are absolutely
restaurant quality! For those of you unfamiliar with this dish,
gnocchi are Italian potato-based dumplings that are soft with a
slight toothsome quality, and they are incredibly versatile as they
pair well with any sort of sauce one would typically apply to pasta.
Now, I can't take full credit for this
recipe. It was concocted primarily by Matthew Senkow, but I did
help! This is a fantastic dish for autumn as well as late summer and
early winter. The combination of sweet potato and ricotta makes for a
delightful sweet-savory combination, warmly accented by the richness
of the rosemary brown butter and the freshness of the kale. Not to
mention, the salty crunch of the pumpkin seeds makes for a touch of
autumnal whimsy. This is quite the modern and elegant twist of the
typical Southern sweet potatoes and greens!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Rosemary Brown
Butter with Kale and Pumpkin Seeds
Gnocchi:
Approximately 1 lb. sweet potatoes,
roasted and peeled*
12 oz. ricotta
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Dash of nutmeg
2 tsp. salt
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
*You can cook the sweet potato using
whatever method you prefer. I prefer to roast mine in the oven at 350
until they are tender, cool them, and then peel them.
Combine all ingredients and mix
thoroughly until they are combined in a uniform dough. Add flour if
the mixture is too sticky. Roll the dough into little cylinders,
approximately 1/2” in diameter. With a fork, cut the dough
cylinders into bite-sized chunks, and mark each dumpling with the
fork tines. Set lightly on floured sheet pan until ready to cook.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a
boil, and gently add the gnocchi a few at a time. Once the gnocchi
begin to float to the top of the water (usually about a minute or two
later), remove them from the water. Reserve.
Sauce with Kale and Pumpkin Seeds
10 tbs. butter
1 tsp. dried rosemary
½ tsp. salt
1 large bunch of kale
Pepitas (roasted, shelled pumpkin
seeds)
Finely chop kale as desired. (I went
with a chiffonade cut for this recipe.) In a large pan, melt 8 tbs.
butter on medium-high heat until it begins to slightly brown.
Regulate the heat so that the butter does not burn. Add rosemary and
salt. Add the kale to the butter sauce and stir, allowing it to
gently wilt. Add remaining butter and a handful of pumpkin seeds.
Toss the gnocchi with the kale and
butter sauce on low heat. Allow the mixture to heat for a couple of
minutes, and then serve.
(Holy gnocchi!)
Enjoy!
