Chef John's Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Because I was careful not to work too much flour into these gnocchi, they didn't come out super dense, dry, and doughy. They stayed nice, moist, and tender. The key here is making them nice and small. The earthy, subtle sweetness from the potato works so well with the bacon, the little touch of rosemary, and butter, making these a great appetizer, side dish, or main.
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Recipe Summary
Ingredients
Directions
Chef's Notes:
This recipe yields 8 appetizer-sized portions of gnocchi.
I like to roast my sweet potato in the microwave since it's fast and easy, but you could do this in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). You can mash the sweet potatoes using a food processor instead of a hand tool, if preferred.
These orange sweet potatoes are sometimes sold as yams in the store. Any variety of sweet potato will work, but these orange ones are the most beautiful, and from what I hear, the most nutritious.
You can use 1 teaspoon fine salt for the gnocchi instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, if preferred.
If you want to fry your gnocchi in its sauce a little more aggressively over higher heat, use a nonstick pan for that, because these can stick.
These gnocchi would also work in your favorite pasta sauce, whether that's a simple, tomato-based marinara, a rich and decadent Gorgonzola cream sauce, or anything you might serve with regular potato gnocchi.