Sweet Potato Gnocchi
The most perfect, light and fluffy sweet potato gnocchi ever! My method of dropping straight in the water from a piping bag means you need much less flour which equals light as air gnocchi.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Potato ricer (or potato masher)
- Baking tray
- Piping bag
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram sweet potatoes (try and use ones the same size to make the weight up)
- 1 egg yolk (leave it out to make it vegan!)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 150 grams plain flour
Instructions
- Check out the step by step photos above and more importantly the video below, it will help a lot! Halve the dough for two people.
- Preheat your oven to 400f (200c).
- Pierce each sweet potato with a sharp knife a few times on all sides.
- Bake in the oven for 45 mins - 1 hour, turning half way through until a knife slides through. Don't overcook as they can go mushy.
- When still warm scoop the insides out. I usually just cut a slice down the middle and the skin comes away easily.
- Pass through a potato ricer onto a tray lined with paper towels. If you don't have a ricer then mash with a potato masher and lay in an even thin layer on the paper towels.
- When the sweet potato has completely cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the egg yolk and mix through roughly.
- Add the salt and flour and with a fork mix it through (watch the video below!) I use the fork to cut back and forth through the mixture to keep it light.
- Transfer to a piping bag or snaplock bag with a hole about 1.5cm. It can be refrigerated like this in the bag if you are making dough ahead.
- Get a big pot of salted water boiling. Hold the bag so the tip is over the water (just the tip, not your hand or else the water will splash up on it)
- Continuously squeeze the bag and using a pair of sharp scissors, cut the gnocchi off so they drop into the water. Do any length gnocchi you like, I normally aim for about 2cm.
- This will have to be done in batches, I normally squeeze and cut for about 30 seconds then let them boil. You'll get faster the more you do it.
- Let each batch boil until they float to the top then give them another 30 seconds before removing with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Transfer to a tray and continue with the rest of the dough.
- The gnocchi might seem slightly fluffy on the outside but that is because there is minimal flour used, it's a good thing!
- Add them to any pasta sauce you like. I love crisping them up in a little olive oil in a non stick pan first then serving with a crispy sage brown butter. Check out my pan fried gnocchi in brown butter recipe!
Video
Notes
Potato ricer - This does process the sweet potato much better, I highly suggest getting one!
Piping bag - This method ensures really light gnocchi as it doesn't need as much flour. Usually to roll out ropes of gnocchi it needs a lot of flour but this way the dough can be much wetter. Use a plastic bag with the end cut off but a piping bag is much sturdier. It doesn't matter what size bag you use as you can keep re-filling it.
Cooking in batches - This will take a good 4 - 5 batches to boil but they really don't take long and remember you haven't had to roll them out on the bench.
Making ahead - The dough can be stored in the piping bag in the fridge for a few hours. The boiled gnocchi can also be stored in the fridge or freezer.