Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage A colorful, flavorful and versatile dumpling. Good as a side dish with grilled pork or chicken, with a meaty ragu, or as a vegetarian entree. 2 lbs. (3 or 4 large) sweet potatoes or yams 1 1/2 lbs. (3 or 4 medium) russet potatoes 2 egg yolks 2 tsp. dried sage 2 tsp. salt Black pepper to taste 3 c. white flour 1/2 c. grated parmesan, if desired, for baking Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake in a 350 oven until soft enough topierce easily, about one hour. Put a baking sheet or some foil under the sweet potatoes as their juices can run. The sweet potatoes will be done first, but it doesn't matter if they get quite soft. Let cool. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides into a bowl. You should have about 2 c. sweet potatoes and a cup and a half of the russets. Rice the russets, at least, to be sure there are no lumps. Rice the sweet potatoes too if they are at all fibrous or don't mash up smoothly. Mix both types together in a large bowl until the color is uniform throughout. Add the egg yolks, sage, salt and pepper and stir in well. Bring a large, pasta-sized pot of well-salted water to a strong simmer. Have ready a pastry board or a large stretch of counter, and measure out a generous 3 cups of plain flour. Add about 2 cups all at once to the potato mixture and stir in well with the hands or a large spoon. Flour the pastry surface, then turn the dough out onto it and gently knead in about another half cup of flour. Expect the dough to be somewhat sticky, but still uniform and smooth on the outside - it just needs enough structure to be rolled and shaped, and you will need to keep it sprinkled with a little flour as you work. Once the dough is firm enough to do so, break off about a billiard ball's worth and roll it out between the hands or on the pastry board into a snake-like strand about a half-inch thick. Flour the strand as needed to prevent sticking, using the remainder of the flour. With a sharp knife, chop the strand into half-inch or slightly larger segments, again sprinkling with flour so the pieces don't lump together. Once you have 20 or 30 dumplings, transfer them to the boiling water with a spatula. Let them boil for a minute or so until they pop to the surface, stirring occasionally to encourage any that stick to the bottom of the pot, and to clear away the foam. Once the gnocchi surface, let them cook another ten seconds or so, depending on size (taste one or two to be sure), before you skim them off with a slotted ladle or spoon. You don't need to be in a rush - gnocchi are difficult to overcook. When they are done, drain the gnocchi well in the spoon, then transfer to a lightly oiled or buttered jelly roll pan or casserole large enough so they won't have to bunch up, and continue on with the strand-rolling, chopping, and dunking until all the dough is gone, and the gnocchi are ready for whatever comes next. If you will be eating the gnocchi right away with a sauce, keep them warm in between batches by storing the pan in a 250 degree oven. However, I suggest that, whatever their eventual fate, you can't go too far wrong by adding a few tablespoons of butter as you go, and giving them an occasional stir. Once they are all cooked, the simplest thing to do is just spread them out evenly, top them with a half cup of grated parmesan, raise the oven heat to 450 and let them bak for ten minutes or so, until the cheese is well melted and possibly a little browned (you can then use the broiler if you want to take things a step further). Serves 6 to 8. Notes: Gnocchi are durable, though they do toughen up a bit. All the same, they can be stored in the fridge or even frozen and then microwaved, baked, or swiftly boiled back into edibility. This recipe, with its underlying sweetness and sage flavoring, is good with grilled or roast chicken or, especially, pork. As a plain side dish, it's hard to beat these dumplings baked in butter and then browned with a little parmesan cheese, as indicated. However, they've also been good alfredo'd, or served with a meaty bolognese sauce made with plenty of pancetta, the Italian un-smoked bacon.
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