Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Fried Sage And Shaved Chestnuts Recipes

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH BROWN BUTTER, CRISPY PANCETTA AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Poke holes all over each sweet potato with a fork, then rub all over with oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove and discard the skins. Quarter each sweet potato and pass a few pieces at a time through a ricer, landing the fluffy strands in a medium bowl; discard any stringy bits. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to mix. (Alternative method: Remove the skins after baking then grate the sweet potatoes on the large holes of a box grater.)
• Bring a large wide pot of water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, whisk to combine the flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Create a well in the center. Add the riced sweet potatoes and egg. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be sure not to overwork the dough!
• Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Bring the dough together with your hands, adding up to 1/4 cup flour, until the dough is just slightly sticky and can be patted into a disk. Let rest on the work surface, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal wedges. Working with one wedge at a time, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick log on a lightly floured surface. Cut each log into about thirty pieces. (The gnocchi will be slightly sticky in the center.) Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with a dish towel.
• Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, in a medium skillet over medium heat until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Remove the skillet from the heat and reserve the skillet with the fat in it.
• Generously season the boiling water with salt. Reduce the heat to medium and carefully drop a batch of gnocchi into the water and cook until they begin to float; remove to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
• Heat the reserved skillet and fat over medium heat. Add the butter and cook, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula, until brown flecks appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sage and gently fry in the brown butter until just crispy, about 1 minute.
• Pour the melted butter on the cooked gnocchi. Top with the sage leaves and crispy pancetta pieces. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy while warm.

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH FRIED SAGE AND SHAVED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Make gnocchi:
• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Pierce russet and sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, then bake in a 4-sided sheet pan until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Cool potatoes slightly, then peel and force through ricer into sheet pan, spreading in an even layer. Cool potatoes completely.
• Lightly flour 2 or 3 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
• Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
• Gather potatoes into a mound in sheet pan, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form a well in center.
• Pour egg mixture into well, then knead into potatoes. Knead in cheese and 1 1/2 cups flour, then knead, adding more flour as necessary, until mixture forms a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Dust top lightly with some of flour.
• Cut dough into 6 pieces. Form 1 piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball and lightly dust with flour.
• Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.
• Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, to make ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi as formed to baking sheets.
• Fry sage leaves and chestnuts:
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches, stirring, until they turn just a shade lighter and crisp (they will continue to crisp as they cool), about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt.
• Fry chestnuts in 3 batches, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. Reserve oil in skillet.
• Make sauce:
• Add butter to oil in skillet with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cook gnocchi:
• Add half of gnocchi to a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to surface, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with butter sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi in same manner, transferring to skillet as cooked.
• Heat gnocchi in skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat.
• Serve sprinkled with fried sage and chestnuts and grated cheese.

CHEF JOHN'S SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

Steps:

• Prick a sweet potato all over with a sharp knife and microwave until very soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Cut potato in half and scoop flesh into a bowl. Mash or blend until smooth. Add ricotta cheese, egg, kosher salt, and cayenne; mix with a spoon until smooth and combined. Stir in flour until mixture comes together into a sticky ball of dough, adding more flour as needed.
• Transfer to a floured surface and knead gently, adding flour as needed, until no longer sticky. Divide into 8 portions. Roll into ropes about 1/2-inch thick, using flour as needed. Dust ropes with flour and cut with a bench scraper into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer pieces onto a sheet pan and let dry on the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, or refrigerate until needed.
• While gnocchi dry, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add butter and cook until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in rosemary. Reserve until needed.
• Stir gnocchi into the pot of boiling water and cook until they float to the top, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked gnocchi to the sauce.
• Heat over medium to medium-high heat, coat with sauce, and season with salt. Turn off heat and stir in 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and top with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH BROWN BUTTER AND SAGE

Steps:

• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.
• Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.
• Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.