RECIPE: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

RECIPE

By Nicole Croom
Staff Writer

This vitamin-loaded spin on the classic potato noodles is surprisingly simple. The only downside is the prep time, but that can be cut down by inviting friends over for some pasta-making fun. Best thing is: these can be frozen before being boiled, so you can enjoy them throughout the week and they won’t get spoiled.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet potatoes
• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 egg yolks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1½ cups flour plus extra for dusting
• Olive oil
• Sauce of your choice

Directions:

1. Poke holes in the potatoes with a knife and soften them either in the oven (400º F for 45 to 60 minutes) or in the microwave (10 to 15 minutes), until a blade can pierce them easily.
2. While still warm, peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer, or grate them on a cheese grater, into a large bowl.
3. Make a mound with the potato and make a crater in the center. Put eggs (yolks only!), salt, pepper, and cheese into crater. Thoroughly mix.
4. Add 1½ cups flour and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until it is smooth but slightly sticky.
5. Dust a cutting board with flour. Divide the dough into pieces, rolling each piece into a rope the width of your pinky. Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces, lightly dusting them with flour to keep them from sticking together.
6. Bring a stock pot full of water and salt to a boil (it should taste like salty soup). Lower the temperature to a simmer. Add gnocchi a handful or two at a time. Remember to keep adding water as it evaporates, otherwise it will become too salty.
7. When the gnocchi begin to float, they are done! Remove them and put them on a tray or in a bowl. Drizzle with enough olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.

Just mix the gnocchi with your favorite sauce, or simply add more olive oil and parmesan cheese, and serve.

Nicole Croom is a first-year student in the School of Medicine.