Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Lemon Spice Sauce

These comfort gnocchi makes a great midweek lunch or dinner.

INGREDIENTS FOR SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

• SWEET POTATOES: Use orange sweet potatoes for these gnocchi. They are the best option thanks to their texture once they are baked. You can find them in most grocery store or order them online. You'll need 250g sweet potato mash.
• PLAIN FLOUR (ALL PURPOSE FLOUR): Use plain flour for this recipe. You may need more or less flour. Star with 90g, then add more if you find the dough too sticky and you can't work with it. You will need some more flour for dusting the work surface.
• FINE SALT: A teaspoon of fine salt is enough for this amount of sweet potatoes.

Depending on the water content of your sweet potatoes you might need a little more flour.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Lemon Spice Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the gnocchi

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (500g, 1.1 lb)
• 90g plain flour (3/4 cup) + more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD

1. MAKING GNOCCHI: Heat the oven to 200 C. Line the baking sheet with baking paper.
   
   
2. Rinse sweet potatoes, prick whole sweet potatoes with a fork few times. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until soft. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and leave aside for a few minutes to cool.
   
   
3. Cut the skin on the potatoes, then scoop out the flash and place in a large bowl. Mash with potato masher or with a fork while they're still hot.
   
   
4. Sprinkle with salt, then add flour a few tablespoons at a time, kneading gently after each addition. Be sure not to over knead.
   
   
5. Once the dough is compact, transfer to a floured work surface and knead for another minute. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not to sticky.
   
   
6. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope-like shape (around 2cm thick). When rolling the dough, sprinkle work surface with flour as the dough will become slightly mosti and sticky. Cut the rope into 2cm gnocchi using a knife or dough cutter and place them on floured tray. At this point you can cook gnocchi, or freeze them for later (see instructions below).
   
   
7. COOKING GNOCCHI: Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add gnocchi (a bunch at a time), and cook until they rise to the top of the water. Drain and place in a bowl, then toss with some olive oil to prevent them from sticking. 

Fresh gnocchi cooks fast, in about 1 minute. So make sure you have your sauce ready before you start boiling them.

Boil the gnocchi in a large pot of water, salted (just like pasta) until they float to the surface. When they are all floating, scoop them out with a spider, strainer, or slotted spoon and toss them straight into the pan with the sauce.

We recommend cooking the gnocchi in batches, two servings at a time.

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.

FREEZING GNOCCHI: Place the tray with gnocchi in the freezer for 10 minutes, then transfer them in a plastic freezer bag, seal and keep for later.

Eventually, 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.

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).

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