Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage & Spinach Sauce
Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage & Spinach Sauce. Fall gnocchi dishes are definitely some of my favorite. These sweet potato gnocchis in a brown butter sauce are definitely at the top of my list. First of all there’s nothing better than a homemade gnocchi. But the nutty brown butter sauce with the crispy sage leaves and toasted hazelnuts is a mouth watering combo. And we like to add some spinach to make this a little different. And the key is plating it over whipped ricotta to dunk all that delicious goodness in !!
I love a good homemade gnocchi especially in the fall season. This time last year was when I made my first batch of homemade gnocchis and I have loved making them ever since. They are definitely a bit time consuming and tedious but I feel so rewarded with the end product.
Since it’s fall I have decided it’s the perfect weekend for sweet potato gnocchis. These festive little pillows of goodness in a brown butter sage sauce are just all the perfect flavors and ingredients of fall. I like to add some kind of nut and veggie to the mix too. And I have found I really love the sage, hazelnut, and spinach combo for this dish. And the whipped ricotta is obviously a must. It really elevates this dish.
This is one of the first weekends we haven’t been down the shore this fall. So being home has inspired me to do some fall cooking instead of summer cooking. And since I am a big fan of gnocchi recipes in the fall I thought this was the perfect opportunity. And they definitely came out delicious !!
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta + 1/2 cup
1 egg
3 cups flour + more if needed
salt
1 tablespoon whole milk
For the Sage & Hazelnut Brown Butter
6 tablespoons butter
20 fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
5 ounces baby spinach
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce holes in the sweet potatoes using a fork. Bake for 45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Remove the skin from the potatoes, and add them to a large bowl. Add a 1/2 cup of ricotta, egg, flour, and salt. Stir to combine. If the dough seems wet, continue adding flour a little at a time. The dough should still be a little sticky.
Generously dust a clean counter space with flour. Divided the dough into 6 equal pieces. With one piece of dough at a time, roll into logs of about 1 inch thickness. Cut the logs into 1 inch pieces. Place the gnocchis on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Set aside to dry or freeze.
Make the sauce. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the sage leaves and hazelnuts. Cook until the butter has browned and the sage leaves have crisped. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
Add the remaining 15 ounce container of ricotta, milk, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth.
Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the gnocchi. When they rise to the surface cook for another minute. Drain, saving 1 cup of cooking water. Add the gnocchi to the skillet with the brown butter sauce and toss to coat, adding cooking water as needed. Serve gnocchis and sauce over the whipped ricotta.
