Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Hazelnuts
For the gnocchi to bind together, the potatoes need to be warm when you mix together the dough, so plan accordingly. (A potato ricer is also helpful for this recipe.)
Prep Time
Cook Time
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Ingredients
Instructions
Toast hazelnuts at 400 for about 8 min. Immediately wrap hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for about 5 min. Roll the hazelnuts around in the towel - this will remove a lot of the skins. Take the hazelnuts out and set aside.
Bake potatoes at 400 for about 1 hour, or until they are soft and easily pierced with a sharp knife. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or wax paper.
Cut potatoes in half and remove their skins. Force potatoes through a ricer. Make a mound on a work surface with the potatoes and make a well in the center.
Beat the eggs slightly in a small bowl and pour into the well. Sprinkle a cup of the flour onto the potatoes and with a fork, start mixing the eggs and incorporating the flour and potatoes together. Add another half cup of flour and with a pastry scraper, mix the ingredients together until dough begins to form. Add another half cup of flour and work into dough. Use pastry scraper to scrape up the dough and fold it back on itself. Use additional flour if dough is overly sticky. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, but not too sticky.
Cut off a chunk of dough and roll it out into a rope about a ½-inch in diameter. Use a little sprinkling of flour on the counter if the dough is sticking too much. After you roll out the rope, then sprinkle the rope with flour and cut either with the pastry scraper or a sharp knife into 1-inch long pieces. Place on one of the baking sheets and sprinkle with additional flour so the gnocchi don't stick together. Repeat with remaining gnocchi and refrigerate until ready to cook.
In a large skillet, fry the pancetta until crisp. Remove and let drain on paper towels. Wipe fat out of pan. In same pan, warm the olive oil, butter, nutmeg, and sage together over low heat.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a slotted spoon or strainer ready. Place half the gnocchi gently into the water. Do not let the water boil vigorously. When the gnocchi float to the top, continue to cook them for about 30 seconds. Remove and place in the skillet with the warmed oil and butter. Cook the rest of the gnocchi, add to the skillet along with the pancetta, and toss gently.