Gnocchi, Photo by joyosity

Gnocchi (NYOH-kee) are little pasta dumplings, and are delicious.

The most common type you’ll find is made with potatoes, but nearly any vegetable can be utilized to make the savory dish.

While it’s typical to see indentations made on gnocchi using the tines of a fork–it’s not necessary.

Chef Jackie Letelier of The Letelier Food Company– maker of gourmet pates and preserves –  shares a recipe for gnocchi that uses fresh beets and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

This dish is delicious served with Braised Goat Shoulder.

• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes peeled and cut in 2inch cubes
• 1 lb. beets peeled and cut in 2 inch cubes
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 4 sage leaves

Preparation

1. Boil beets and sweet potatoes together in a pot of salted water until tender. That takes more or less 20 minutes.
2. Drain and mash them with a potato ricer or hand masher.
3. Once your sweet potatoes and beets have cooled to at least room temperature (sticking them in the fridge for 30 minutes would be a good call), add your one egg and mix it well.
4. Then slowly add your flour, 1/4 of a cup at a time, until the dough starts to come together. Ultimately, you want something that is very soft, but manageable. I ended up adding about 3 Cups flour to my dough.
5. Now we are ready for the next step.
6. There are a couple of ways to do this portion. I have tried a lot of methods and somehow this is the one that stuck with me.
7. Take your dough and roll it out with a pin. Try to get it as even a thickness as possible.  You’re going for about the thickness of your thumb.
8. Cut 2 inch strips each way.
9. Roll each little square into a ball.
10. Place your gnocchi in a pot of boiling water. Wait for them to reach the surface. When the gnocchi have all bobbed to the surface, they’re ready.
11. Scoop them out with a sieve, shake off the water and transfer them to a tray lined with paper towel.
12. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.
13. Add your sage leaves then brown your gnocchi on each side. This takes no more than a few minutes per side.