Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Gnocchi:
- 1 pound sweet potato
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 cup flour, more for dusting
For the sauce:
- 6 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 medium shallot, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 1/2 cups cream
- 1/2-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Bake the sweet potato in the oven (approximately 1 hour) until fork tender.
Scoop the flesh of the sweet potato into a mixing bowl. Discard the skin. Mix the ricotta, parmesan, and salt until well combined and almost completely smooth. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading very gently after each addition (don’t over knead it – you don’t want it to get tough).
As the dough becomes easier to handle, transfer it to a clean floured work surface and form it into a loaf, about 9×5 inches. Cut a slice off of the loaf on the short side (think of it as if it were a loaf of banana bread and you were going to cut a slice to eat). Roll and stretch the slice on a floured surface until it forms a long, skinny rope-like shape. Cut the rope into 1-inch segments and transfer to a bowl: this is your gnocchi.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the gnocchi, and boil until the gnocchi rise to the top of the water. Drain and toss gently with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. At this point you can make the rest of the recipe with the gnocchi, refrigerate the gnocchi to finish them later, or freeze them.
In medium skillet over medium heat add your bacon and cook until crispy on both sides. Remove the bacon from skillet to paper towels.
Using the same pan, drain the bacon grease and melt butter. Sautee shallots and gnocchi (5-7 minutes).
Add in the cream, cheese, salt and pepper and bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly. Add gnocchi water to help thicken the sauce (if needed).
When thickened, remove from the heat add half of the bacon and stir.
Garnish with remaining bacon and crispy sage. Enjoy!
