I’ve made this three times in the past week because there’s just something comforting about the earthy flavors of the sweet potatoes and kale as the weather gets colder in New York. This pasta has pillowy sweet potato gnocchi made from just 4 ingredients which is then toasted in brown butter with sweet Italian sausages and lacinato kale. It’s a simple yet hearty wintry pasta that’s a hug in every bite.
3 foolproof tips for sweet potato gnocchi
Sweet potato gnocchi is a bit trickier to make than regular potato gnocchi because sweet potatoes have a higher moisture content. A lot of recipes and videos online will say that it’s “sooo easy to make” but from my personal experience, sweet potato gnocchi requires a bit of practical skill to prevent them from turning out too dense. After several attempts, below are some tips that I found helpful in making pillowy sweet potato gnocchi.
drain excess moisture from the sweet potatoes
I found very little difference in texture between microwaving and baking the sweet potatoes. However, I recommend not boiling the sweet potatoes because excess moisture is the enemy to a good gnocchi. If you’re in a hurry, microwave the sweet potatoes for about 8-9 minutes because roasting them in the oven will take about an hour.
Based on several attempts, the most important step happens after the sweet potato has been cooked through. Once they become fork tender, scoop out the flesh and transfer them to a sheet pan that’s lined with paper towel to draw out any excess moisture. Let the sweet potato cool down in the lined sheet pan for about 10 minutes. Then rice or smash the potatoes and spread them out onto the lined sheet tray again for about 5 minutes to release any excess steam.
RICER VS FORK
To achieve the smoothest consistency, use a ricer or potato smasher. I found that using a fork to smash the sweet potato was not as effective in achieving a smooth consistency because you may end up with a few small lumps of sweet potatoes.
flour to sweet potato ratio and kneading
The weight of flour should be about 20% of the weight of sweet potatoes for a pillowy gnocchi. Weigh the sweet potato after it’s been put through a ricer or smasher and then weigh the flour accordingly so that it’s 20% of the weight of the sweet potatoes. If you don’t have a digital scale, it’s time to purchase one! You can find digital scales for $10 on Amazon.
In the video (below), I started combining the gnocchi ingredients on a cutting board. However, it is much easier to mix the sweet potatoes and flour together in a bowl with a spatula. Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and gently knead it a few times. You don’t want to knead it as if you’re kneading a pizza dough because you’ll end up overworking the gluten which will produce a gluey sticky consistency.
Additional notes
ADD LEMON ZEST
I had the lemon out to use for this dish but I forgot to add it while I was shooting. I recommend adding the zest of half a lemon while cooking the sausage and kale. It brings an acidic balance to the dish and brightens all the ingredients.
for toasty gnocchi, use a non-stick pan
I realized halfway through the video shoot that a nonstick pan would’ve made more sense to toast the gnocchi in the brown butter. Somehow my gnocchi didn’t stick as much as I anticipated in my stainless steel skillet so I got away with it. However, for the best toasted gnocchi, I recommend using a nonstick pan.
Brown Butter Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale
Equipment
- 1 large sheet pan
- 1 potato ricer or smasher
- 1 large non-stick pan
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- 1 lb sweet potatoes about 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 egg yolk
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Brown Butter Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Kale
- 4 sweet Italian sausage links casing removed
- 3 oz lacinato kale chopped
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 sage leaves
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes optional
- zest of half a lemon
- salt + cracked black pepper
Instructions
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork. Then place them in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the potatoes for about 8-10 minutes, flipping them half way through.
- Line a sheet pan with paper towel. Once the sweet potatoes become fork tender, scoop out the flesh and transfer them to the sheet pan. Let the sweet potato cool down in the lined sheet pan for about 5 minutes. (The paper towel will help draw out the excess moisture from the sweet potato.)
- Then rice or smash the potatoes and spread them out onto the lined sheet pan again for about 10 minutes to draw out any additional moisture.
- Transfer the mashed sweet potato to a bowl. Then add the egg yolk and work the yolk into the sweet potato with a spoon or spatula. Then sift half the flour and all of the salt into the bowl. Combine everything with a spatula. Then sift the rest of the flour and combine everything again with the spatula until the dough comes together.
- Flour your work surface and gently knead the dough a few times. Form the dough into a ball and lightly flour the top of the dough. TIP: It is important to not over knead the dough. Just a few gentle kneads is all that is required. If the dough is over kneaded, it will overwork the gluten which will then make the dough become sticky and gluey. Refer to my tips in the post above for further details.
- Cut the dough ball into 6 equal pieces. Then roll out each piece of dough into a log that 3/4" in diameter. Then cut the log into 1-inch segments and then transfer the gnocchi onto a floured baking sheet to keep them from sticking together. Repeat until all the dough pieces have been rolled out and cut into 1" segments.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the gnocchi and boil until the gnocchi rises to the top of the water which should take about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the pan to assemble the pasta.
Brown Butter Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Kale
- TIP: To save time, make the pasta sauce while the water is boiling.
- Set a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the pan and then add the sweet Italian sausage. Smash the sausage into smaller pieces with a wooden spatula while cooking. Cook the sausage for about 6-7 minutes until they start to turn crisp and golden around the edges.
- Then add the chopped kale and lemon zest and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the kale softens. Season with red chili flakes (optional), salt and black pepper. Once the kale is cooked, transfer the sausage and kale to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same nonstick pan over medium-low heat, add the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the butter until it turns golden and starts releasing a nutty aroma. Then add the sage leaves to the brown butter and toast them for about 15-20 seconds until they become crispy.
- Then transfer the cooked gnocchi into the brown butter and let them toast on one side over medium-low heat for about 1 minute.
- Then add the sausage and kale back into the pan with the gnocchi and gently stir everything together. Season with salt, cracked black pepper and grated parmesan.
- Plate the gnocchi and and add additional grated Parmesan. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
