Sweet Potato Gnocchi..... Mood = Sweet sensation

Sweet potato. What can i say about this delightful vegetable. Quite a lot on my part. I love this root vegetable and use it so often. It appears in curries, soups, mash,  as an accompaniment to roasts, in ravioli, and now as gnocchi. This recipe i came up with for gnocchi was just super. It had the sweetness of the sweet potato, the caramelised garlic, thyme and nutmeg in the dumpling, and the sauce was simple and fresh. My husband loves gnocchi and makes it from readymade gnocchi, pan fries it with garlic and oregano with a little shaving of parmesan. Delicious. They become like little crisps with soft centres.

Sweet potatoes are rich in comple carbohydrates, dietary fibres, beta carotene (vitamin A), vitamin C and vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes are very good for people with diabetes, as they help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance.

Sounds good to me. This wonderful root vegetable is so versatile, the list could go on and on about how to use this in food. But today i am sticking with gnocchi.

I have been wanting to make this for such a long time and it slid lower and lower on my list of things to do, and i am not sure why exactly. I shall never do that again. Never!

Recipe:

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 whole head of garlic
Fresh thyme
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
400g flour
350 Riccota cheese
1 Teaspoon of nutmeg
2 Eggs
100g Butter
3T creme fraiche
1 teaspoon of golden caster sugar
Peas

Method:

• Peel, and cut the sweet potato into cubes and bash the garlic and mix into the sweet potato. Adding some thyme and salt pepper and olive oil. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven at 200 degrees fro about 35 minutes.

• When they have cooked and cooled slightly, put some gloves on and mash them with your hands.

• Add the riccota, flour, 2 eggs and nutmeg and mix again.

• Do not over work the dough as it will become tough. You want to combine everything till it is just mixed.

• Place a pot of boiling water on and season it with salt.

• Get your dough and cut into 4.

• Roll out a sausage shape, and add flour to the board to prevent from sticking.

• Cut little pieces about 3 cm long and set aside till you have cut the rest.

• Now get your fork and coat it in the flour and using the tip of the fork, press down ever so slightly to make an indentation.

• Place on baking sheet and add them slowly to the boiling water.

• Do this in batches.

• While the gnocchi are cooking, make the sauce. It should take about 3-4 minutes.

• Place the butter and creme fraiche into a pan with some thyme.

• Add some salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of golden caster sugar.

• Mix well to combine the two together and the sauce will begin to thicken. It may look like it has scrambled for a minute, but keep whisking and you will see it come together.

• Add the peas.

• Once the gnocchi have risen, remove with a slotted spoon and place them in to the sauce and let them coat in it for another 2 minutes.

• Serve with a sprig of thyme and you are ready to go.

This recipe made about 60 pieces. I made 1/2 for dinner and then put the rest in the freezer for next time. It is so worth it, and great to know you have reserves for later!!!!