Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Okay, a friend reminded me that Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks, so the idea here is to take traditional Thanksgiving fare and prepare it in a non- traditional way. Everybody seems to like sweet potatos so let's start with that.

To make the Gnocchi:

You can either bake 2 pounds of sweet potato in the oven at 425 deg. for 40 to 50 minutes, or you can use your microwave and have them fully cooked and tender in about 8 to 11 minutes, using far less energy. But either way, once they’re done, cut them in half and scoop the sweet potato into a large bowl. Mash it thoroughly and measure out two cups. Return that to the bowl and feed the rest to your dog.

If he won’t eat it, send it to my house, mine will.

Add 2/3 cup whole milk Ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Mix this thoroughly.

Add 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, blending this 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft dough.

Now sprinkle some flour on a flat work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch long pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork to score the surface. Transfer the formed gnocchi onto a large baking sheet.

Now, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3batches and cook until tender but still firm when you bite into it. Stir the Gnocchi occasionally, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, moving it back onto the baking sheet. Build a tent with foil to keep it warm, while you finish the remaining gnocci.

For the Brown Butter sauce:

While the gnocchi are cooking, melt ½ cup of butter (yeah this is another low calorie recipe, but hey, its for the holidays, so suffer through it)in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add two dozen fresh sage leaves. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Stir this gently to keep it from bubbling up. When bubbles are gone, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve it right away.