Sweet Potato/Amaretti Gnocchi, Sage Butter
8 Servings
Although these surprising gnocchi are made with sweet potatoes and crumbled Italian cookies, their success is still dependent on the russet potatoes in the batch. Those latter will add enough starch to hold the dumplings together. The gnocchi's natural sweetness is balanced with a fairly classic butter sauce, laced with sage for a Thanksgivingish take on the palette. All in all, this dish is pretty indulgent, even if the portions are moderately sized. It probably shouldn't end a meal--or at least not come right before dessert. Instead, consider these a first (or second) plate with a larger main-course event in the offing.
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1 pound russet (baking) potatoes
4 large egg yolks
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup finely ground amaretti cookies
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375°F. Roast the sweet and russet potatoes on a large baking sheet until tender, about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack until easily handled, about 30 minutes. Peel the potatoes and put them all through a potato ricer and into a large bowl.
2. Stir the egg yolks into the potatoes until creamy. Add 4 cups of flour, the ground amaretti, and salt. Stir to form a soft dough, adding more flour as necessary to get the dough to cohere, probably a cup more, maybe even more than that depending on the day's humidity, the moisture content of the flour, and even the residual moisture content of the baked potatoes.
3. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Roll one under your palms into a rope about 12 inches long. Cut the rope crosswise into 1-inch pieces, like small pillows. Continue making the remainder from subsequent ropes.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop one-third of the gnocchi in and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. (Working in batches prevents crowding and mitigates drastic temperature fluctuations.) Use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the water and drain completely in a colander. Repeat with the two remaining batches, one at a time.
5. Divide the butter between two large skillets and melt each over medium heat. Divide the sage, pepper, and nutmeg between the skillets. Stir well and add half the gnocchi to each skillet. Fry, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp on at least one side, about 3 minutes.
6. To serve, divide all the gnocchi among serving plates, scraping any dribs of buttery sauce in the pan over each serving.
Ahead: Make the gnocchi through step 3 up to 6 hours in advance. Arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to boil them.
Note: Amaretti are tiny, hard, Italian macaroons, made with bitter almonds and/ or apricot pits. Look for them in specialty stores among the international cookies.
Pour: Either chilled prosecco to offer palate-cleansing bubbles or a hearty California Syrah to match the depth of the butter sauce
Reprinted from Vegetarian Dinner Parties by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough. Copyright (c) 2014 by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. By permission of Rodale Books. Available wherever books are sold.
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