Homemade Gnocchi: From Novice to Now

Yes, yes--here's another one of my stories. Just bear with me and I'll try to make it as painless as possible.

Rewind to sophmore year in college. I just began studying nutrition and getting my hands wet in the kitchen. My best friend was visiting and we had a hankering for a good meal. Only problem was, we had no clue how to make that happen. We decided on making homemade gnocchi. I know what you're thinking: why would these two little inexperienced girls take on such a task without the proper knowledge of the culinary arts? The answer: We had no idea what we were getting into. Not a clue.

To spare you the details, I will simply reveal the outcome: the gnocchi disappeared. Literally. They crumbled apart in the cooking water and melted away. (Picture the confusion; it still makes me laugh to this day.)

Fast forward one year later. I undertake a similar task, this time using sweet potatoes as the base for the gnocchi. For fear of losing the little babies in the pool, I was sure to add a generous amount of flour and knead the dough repeatedly. The gnocchi survived the boiling, but sadly they were too tough. Not bad, though, for a second try.

Back to present day. I am ready to revisit the nightmare that is the gnocchi...

I recommend you prepare the potatoes a day in advance. This will greatly cut down on the amount of kitchen time you put in at once. It's not necessary, but helpful in keeping you sane. Pierce the sweet potatoes (I used two) all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet in a 450-degree oven for about an hour. Allow to cool, then peel and mash well. Refrigerate for use the next day, or let them cool completely and move on...

Season the potatoes with salt, black pepper, and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat one egg and then stir into the potatoes. Now add the flour a little at a time. I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups, which resulted in a dough that looked like this:

Now that you've dumped out the dough onto a clean, floured working surface, knead the dough gently until it just comes together. Remember not to over-knead like I did in the past. Next, cut the dough into sections (I made eight) and roll each one out and cut into bite size pieces. Roll a fork over each gnocchi to create the signature pattern. I had some trouble with this step; improvisation led to me lightly squish them with a fork.

We're almost there! Drop the gnocchi into boiling water. Once they float to the surface, let them cook for about 3-4 minutes before fishing them out with a slotted spoon.

Toss with melted butter, cinnamon or nutmeg, and fresh torn sage.

The gnocchi were texturally balanced, both chewy and pillowy. The cinnamon accentuated the natural sweetness of the potatoes, and the sage in the butter sauce lent an earthy note to the dish.

I guess the adage is true: Third time's the charm!