Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi

These autumn inspired gnocchi are made with only 3 (!) ingredients and cook up beautifully to serve for a hungry crowd.

After boiling these sweet potato gnocchi I tossed them in a quick saut頯f sweet onion, green beans, cherry tomatoes, sage, baby spinach cooked in extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt and black pepper and then deglazed with white wine to make a loose sauce. I topped the dish with my homemade soy labneh and edible flowers from the garden, including nasturtium, calendula petals and flowering fennel crowns.

These sweet potato gnocchi would also be excellent with a sage, wild mushroom and kale sauce accompanied with cashew cream or a roasted pepper romesco type sauce perhaps. Get creative!

Makes About 50 Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Preparation

Roast whole sweet potato(s) at 425?F on a baking sheet or tinfoil (to catch juices) until fork tender, about 20 minutes for small ones and 30-40 minutes for larger sweet potatoes.

Remove from oven and when cool enough to touch, peel away and discard skins.

Mash sweet potatoes with a fork in a bowl. Add flour and salt and stir with a fork until a dough starts to hold together. Knead dough together using clean hands just until it comes together into a smooth soft ball. Be careful not to over work the dough. Dough should be soft and pillowy, not firm or dense.

Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, while covering the remaining dough, roll it out with your hands into a long log about 1/2" in diameter. Cut log into 1-1/2" long pieces. Lightly press each piece into the back of a fork or gnocchi board and roll it down the tines to make indentations on one side and a slight concave dip on the other side. Repeat with remaining portions of dough.

At this point gnocchi can be cooked right away or refrigerated for up to 2 days before use or frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transferred to a freezer safe container and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. To cook frozen gnocchi add them directly to the boiling water, do not thaw them first.

To cook gnocchi, bring a large pot of water (at least 4 quarts) to a boil and add a handful of sea salt to the water. Add fresh gnocchi to the boiling water, and cook at a rapid boil, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Test one to make sure they are cooked through, with no raw flour taste, and are soft with a slight chew, not mushy. If they are not done, cook for a couple more minutes and test again. If cooking frozen gnocchi you may need a few more minutes to cook them.

When gnocchi are done, drain them from the cooking water and coat or toss them in whatever sauce or saut頡s you wish.

Kaity Farrell is a private chef based on the island of Nantucket, MA, and the creative voice of the food blog Fare Isle. She focuses on seasonal, nourishing and wholesome, mostly plant-based recipes. When she’s not creating and photographing recipes, you can find her tending her seaside garden and enjoying the beauty of the island with her husband and their young son. Find her at fareisle.com