Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I used to think making your own pasta was super intimidating. And I still think some types of pasta are tricky. Especially the kind you roll out. But gnocchi is pretty easy to throw together. Now I'm not going to claim I can make pretty looking pasta or anything but it sure did taste delicious. I'm a big fan of sweet potatoes so they were a natural choice for my first foray into homemade pasta. Oh, and did I mention the awesomely good bleu cheese sauce that goes with the gnocchi? 

What You'll Need:
2 cups cooked, pureed sweet potato
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces gorgonzola or other bleu cheese
1 cup half and half
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted


What to Do:
Cook your sweet potatoes and scoop out the flesh. It took 3 small sweet potatoes to get 2 cups. Puree the sweet potato and add the salt. Gradually add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together and and is easy to handle. Depending on how juicy your potatoes are, you may not need all of the flour. Divide the dough into 4 balls. 

Generously flour your work surface and roll out each ball into 1/2 inch thick ropes. I'll admit I rolled my a little thick and they took a bit longer to cook. Try and err on the smaller side. Cut the logs into 1 inch pieces. You can get fancy and press a fork into each piece to make them look more traditional but you can cook them as is. 

Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until they float. Let them cook for a few more minutes and test one to see that it's cooked through. They should be chewy but still soft.

For the sauce, mix the cheese and half and half until the cheese is melted. Cook the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Add the walnuts at the end. Drizzle the sauce over your gnocchi and I promise you'll love it :)