The idea of making sweet potato gnocchi – or any type of gnocchi – at home might seem daunting. Yet chefs, nonnas, and pasta-making experts agree that it's actually the easiest type of pasta for kicking off your homemade pasta adventures.
Following along as Silvia Barban prepares sweet potato gnocchi from scratch along with a walnut pesto sauce.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
14 oz./400 g. sweet potatoes
3½ oz./100 g. regular potatoes
3½ oz. /100 g. 00 flour
2 oz./ 50 g. cheese
1 large egg
Walnut Pesto
7 oz./200 g. walnut
3½ oz./100 g. Pecorino
3 oz./80 g. extra-virgin olive oil
1 ⅓ Tbsp./20 g. green part of the scallion
1 clove garlic
black pepper
salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F for 30 minutes, then cook the washed potatoes for around 40 minutes, which makes the potatoes dryer, resulting in better gnocchi. If you're short on time, you can boil and peel the potatoes – you’ll just require more flour later.
Remove the skin from the potatoes then use a ricer to mash them. When the potatoes are warm, not hot, add the remaining ingredients. Mix the dough with your hands or a pastry cutter, which helps you avoid overworking the dough. When the dough comes together, place it on a surface with a little flour. With a bench scraper or a knife, cut the dough into logs. Roll the logs out into little snakes that are about dime-size in circumference – make sure to use all your fingers for even rolling.
While you're cutting the gnocchi, bring a pot of water to a boil.
Place the garlic and the scallion along with the extra-virgin olive oil, in a mortar and pestle or food processor, then add the nuts and the rest of the ingredients. Mix everything until it becomes creamier.
Once the water boils, add salt. After 5 minutes, drop the gnocchi in and let them cook until they float to the top, then drain, setting aside some of the cooking water. Combine the walnut pesto and gnocchi in a bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon – add the cooking water if needed.