Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I have been wanting to make this for awhile and finally bit the bullet. I had a sweet potato in the fridge that was on the verge of going bad and had I waited another week to use it it would have gone in the compost. So, potential food waste made me make this dish :)

I had a medium sweet potato which was about 1 1/2 lbs and cost me about $1. This dish serves 4-6 people and costs about $1.50 depending on where you get your ingredients. Since I don't like following recipes, here is my own version.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb sweet potato (one medium one)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 pinches of cinnamon (optional, I just wanted to up the flavour in this. You can use nutmeg, too)

Directions

Peel sweet potato and cut in chunks. Boil for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a bowl and mash right away with a potato masher. Add sea salt, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of flour at a time and blend well with a fork. When well blended. Sprinkle some flour on the counter, grab a handful of the dough and roll into a snake about 3/4 inches thick.

Cut into 1 inch pieces, then flatten with a fork and squeeze the sides with your thumb and index finger. (that's just what I do but feel free to make them how you want). Boil some salted water, then add the gnocchi to it. Take them out with a slotted spoon as soon as they start floating on top and drain on a plate. Each serving is about 12-14 pieces depending on size. I made 83 pieces and used 12 pieces as a serving size. Serve with any type of sauce you want but I like tomato sauce on these. Some people just like to eat them with margarine, salt and pepper.

Freezer Instructions: I didn't eat these right away so I placed the uncooked prepared gnocchi pieces on a cookie sheet and "flash" froze them for 20 minutes. I then placed the pieces in several ziplock bags. When you want to eat these right out of the freezer, it's the same as above. Cook in boiling water and remove when they float to the top.

Other Options: I read that you can use butternut squash or pumpkin for this too. And of course you can use any type of potato, this time of year they are cheap and abundant!

Source: My own recipe, Edited from my blog: http://thefrugalvegan.wordpress.com

By Lisa from Halifax, NS