Meat-free Monday’s are looking even better with this delicious dish of sweet potato gnocchi with a few of my favourite things. Roasting the sweet potato diced and while covered is the best way to make these gnocchi because it cooks quickly and ensures the vegetables are tender and dry, but don’t have a tough skin, so they’re easy to mash. Just remember to mash while they’re hot, then allow to cool slightly. The gnocchi can also be made a few hours in advance and kept covered in the fridge until ready to cook.
SERVES 4
PREP 20 MIN
COOK 45 MIN
What you’ll need:
80g walnuts
1kg sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 tbs olive oil
300g ricotta
½ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp salt
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
50g gorgonzola
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
What to do:
Preheat oven to 180°C Fan or 200°C Conventional
Place walnuts on a baking tray and roast for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and golden. Cool then roughly chop and set aside.
Place sweet potato in a baking tray and toss with oil. Season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes until tender. Transfer to a large bowl and mash while hot until smooth. Cool to room temperature then add ricotta, nutmeg and salt and mix well to combine. Dust bench with flour and turn out mixture. Add flour and fold together until combined, adding a little extra flour if the mixture is sticky. Roll dough into 2.5cm thick sausages and cut gnocchi into 3cm lengths.
Place butter and maple syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Turn off the heat.
Working in batches, cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to maple butter and gently stir to coat. Keep warm until all the gnocchi are cooked. Transfer to a large serving platter. Sprinkle with walnuts and dot with gorgonzola.
