Sweet Potato Gnocchi Fried in Brown Butter With Fresh Sage

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Fried in Brown Butter with Sage are addictive! It requires simple ingredients, some patience to roll and form each gnocchi, and a multi-step process.  I think it is worth the effort because they taste so yummy, AND especially because these can be made ahead of time and frozen. When ready to serve just boil frozen for 5 minutes and then fry up in butter with fresh sages leaves.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi would be great served as a savory side for Thanksgiving if you want to skip the traditional  brown sugar and marshmallow casserole. My tip —  bake at least 3 or 4 extra sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving and set them aside to make gnocchi over the weekend and freeze them for future meals. The baked sweet potatoes are best riced when they are cold!

Frying the Sweet Potato Gnocchi until caramelized make them very different from Classic yellow potato gnocchi that are smooth and creamy.  The only difference between the two recipes is that I fry the sweet potato gnocchi a little longer in the brown butter.  Check out my recipe for Classic Gnocchi here to see the difference.

Here is the step-by-step recipe to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi Fried in Brown Butter with Fresh Sage

Bake large sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for at least 1  – 1 1/2 hours.  Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.

I recommend ricing the sweet potato with a ricer if you have one. It creates a better texture and a fluffier dough.  One egg is enough to help bind the dough.

Add the flour, salt and some nutmeg and gently mix with a spatula until incorporated. The dough will be loose and delicate as it absorbs the flour.

Turn onto a floured board and pat into a large disk.

With a bench scraper, chop of a long piece of the dough and gently roll into a thick rope. With the bench scraper, cut the rope into small 1-inch pieces of dough.

Take one small piece at a time and roll downward on a wooden gnocchi board to get the groves in the dough. I do not add the traditional indentation (with my thumb at the end of the roll) for Sweet Potato Gnocchi.  Since they will be fried in butter it is not necessary.  If you are making Classic Gnocchi and plan to serve them with a Marinara Sauce, the indentation is great to capture and hold the sauce.

Lay the finished gnocchi on a Silpat lined baking sheet.

At this point I freeze them in a single layer on the baking sheet. After they are frozen, transfer them to ziplock bags for storage in the freezer until needed. When you are ready to make them, just boil frozen for 5 minutes. Transfer to a hot pan with bubbling brown butter and fresh sage leaves. Fry until caramelized and serve immediately.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi Fried in Brown Butter with Fresh Sage

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Fried in Brown Butter with Sage are addictive! It requires simple ingredients, some patience to roll out each one, and a multi-step process. It is worth it especially because these can be made ahead of time and frozen. When ready to serve just boil frozen for 5 minutes and then fry up in butter with fresh sage.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pasta sweet potatoes

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For Gnocchi

• 3 - 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt + 1 tablespoons for pasta water
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cup flour plus more if needed

For Brown Butter Sauce

• ½ cup (1 stick ) butter
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg optional

Instructions

To make the gnocchi

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place washed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Cut the tip off one end and the skins should pull off easily. Cut the peeled potatoes into large chunks.
• Fill the potato ricer with a few chunks of scooped potato at a time and push the potato through into a large bowl. Repeat until all the potatoes are riced.
• Add the egg, salt and nutmeg. Using a spatula gently mix until just incorporated.
• Add the flour and continue mixing until a dough starts to form. If the dough is too sticky or wet, add a tablespoon or two of flour as needed. Gently knead the dough until it just holds together. Do not overwork the dough to ensure a light fluffy gnocchi.
• Transfer the dough to a floured pastry board. Shape the dough into a flat disk shape. Keep extra flour handy to dust as often as needed to keep the dough from sticking. With the pastry scraper, slice the disk into 1 inch slices. Using floured hands, roll each slice into a rope, about ½ inch thick. With the pastry scraper, cut the rope into pieces approximately 1 inch apart to form individual gnocchi.
• To complete the gnocchi shape, place one gnocchi gently on the wooden gnocchi board, and roll downward to add the lines. These lines help hold the butter sauce.

To Freeze the gnocchi

• At this point you can freeze the gnocchi in a single layer in a ziplock bag, store them in the fridge for 24 hours, or directly boil and use them in a favorite sauce. If you do not cook them right away, arrange gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 2 hours or until frozen. Transfer the gnocchi to a ziplock bag for storage up to 3 months.

To cook the gnocchi in butter sauce:

• Melt butter in large non-stick skillet until hot and bubbly. Add fresh whole sage leaves. Have the butter ready for the cooked gnocchi.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with 1 tablespoons salt. Add gnocchi in small batches to the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they float. Drain with a slotted spoon and add to the pan with the hot butter.
• Turn the heat up and continue cooking the gnocchi until they are crispy and caramelized on all sides, about 4-6 minutes. The sage leaves will also get crispy. Season with salt and pepper and more nutmeg if desired. Toss and continue cooking 2-3 more minutes until all the butter is absorbed.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

NOTES: 1) Do not attempt to make these in a food processor. It will result in a tough dough. 2) Having the right equipment will make these much easier. You will need a Potato Ricer, Pastry/Bench Scraper, Wood Gnocchi Board. 3)  Sweet Potato Gnocchi do not need the indentation made with the thumb for this recipe.