Instead of sweet potato-casserole for your Thanksgiving table, why not present the crowd with a fun twist on everyone’s favorite fall tuber: Sweet potato gnocchi enveloped by a brown butter/sage sauce and finished with toasted pecans and salty Pecorino.

While this recipe may appear daunting, don’t let it intimidate you! Actually, it’s quite simple - and fun - to make, especially if you break the steps up over the course of two days: On the day prior to when you plan to eat the gnocchi, make the toasted pecans, compound butter, and gnocchi (up to the point where you add the gnocchi to the brown butter sauce to coat and toast). You can store the gnocchi on a foil or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate until you’re ready to saute!

Bon appetit and happy holidays!

Supplies/utensils needed for this recipe:

• Foil

• Cookie sheet

• Small dish

• Large pot (for boiling water)

• Butter knife

• Saute pan

• Spider/slotted spoon

• Ice

• 2 mixing bowls

• Cutting board

• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Ingredients:

Recipe makes 4 1-cup servings

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (recipe below)

• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted

• 1 T maple syrup

• 3 fresh sage leaves, torn in to 1” pieces or 1/8 t of ground sage

• Ground nutmeg

• Ground cinnamon

• 2 Russet potatoes (1 lb.) - note that you will use 1 1/4 cup of the skinless cooked flesh for the recipe

• 1 large sweet potato (3/4 lb) - note that you will use 1 cup of the skinless cooked flesh for the recipe

• 1 t salt

• 1 egg yolk

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 2 T olive oil, broken out in to 1/2 T and 1.5 T

• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Method:

Toasted pecans:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Line a cookie sheet with foil and top with chopped pecans

3. Bake for 10 minutes

4. Remove from oven and season with salt, to taste

5. Allow to cool to room temperature and store in an air-tight container or zip baggie

Compound butter:

1. Melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds

2. Add the maple syrup, torn sage leaves or ground sage, two dashes of ground nutmeg, two dashes of ground cinnamon, and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste/your liking

3. Stir together

4. When butter has cooled to room temperature, store in fridge

Gnocchi:

1. After you’ve rinsed the potatoes in water, pierce all over with a fork

2. Wrap each potato in damp paper towels and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes, or until fork-tender

3. Once cool enough to touch, cut in half and scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin

   *You will need 1 1/4 cups of Russet potato-flesh and 1 cup of sweet potato-flesh

4. Combine the potatoes and mash together, using a ricer - a masher - or your hands

5. Add a few dashes of each cinnamon and nutmeg

6. Add in the salt, egg yolk, and 3/4 cup of flour; blend together with your hands to fully incorporate

7. Lightly flour a cutting board and turn dough out in a circle-shape, adding a bit more flour to the dough if necessary to keep from sticking

8. Meanwhile:

   1. Bring a large pot of water - plus 1/2 T of olive oil - to a rolling boil

   2. Take the compound butter out of the fridge and set aside

   3. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and keep chilled

9. While the water comes up to a boil, cut the gnocchi dough in to 1” wide strips (you should have apprx. 6 strips of dough)

10. Working one piece at a time on your lightly-floured cutting board, roll each dough strip in to a 3/4” thick rope

11. Using a butter knife, cut each strip in to 1/2” bite-sized morsels

12. Place your bowl of ice water near the pot of boiling water

13. Using your slotted spoon/spider, gently lower the gnocchi in to the boiling water. When the gnocchi floats to the surface, it’s done (apprx. 2-3 minutes).

14. Remove with your slotted spoon/spider and put the cooked gnocchi in to the ice water.

15. When you’ve cooked all of the gnocchi, discard the ice water and drain the gnocchi well on paper towels.

16. In a large bowl, add 1.5 T of olive oil and the gnocchi. Swirl the bowl around so that all of the gnocchi get enveloped by the oil.

17. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to brown, about 1-2 minutes.

18. Add the gnocchi and saute until golden brown; apprx. 3-5 minutes.

19. Plate with a dusting of pecans and shredded Pecorino cheese.

Until we eat again,

The Lunch Belle