Have you ever made gnocchi? It’s actually pretty easy and lots of fun. It takes a little time, but that’s what the slow food movement is all about. This recipe is from Marc Summers. Parsley’s Catering is based in Kennesaw.
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato 3 baking potatoes 1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 egg Salt and pepper 1 stick butter 1 cup flour 8 cups milk 1 cup grated Parmesan 2 cups blue cheese, crumbled 1 cup grated Asiago
Preparation:
Bake sweet potato until soft. Cool and scoop out the flesh.
While sweet potato is baking, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. In a large bowl, mash or rice the potatoes and mix with sweet potato flesh.
Add 1 cup flour to potato mixture, then stir in egg, salt and pepper. Lightly knead together, adding more flour as needed. You want a soft dough, just a little bit sticky.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces. On a floured work surface, roll each piece into a log. Divide the log into 1-inch pieces and roll each off the tines of a fork to make ridges. Set aside.
Make sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook until roux is brown and smells nutty. Slowly add milk and stir vigorously to eliminate nuts. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and add cheeses slowly so each melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi. Do not crowd pot. Simmer gnocchi until they float, then remove with a slotted spoon. Toss with sauce and serve.