I used my kitchen for the first time this week.
I mean, obviously I’ve been *using* it, but I USED IT used it, you know? Like, oven on, 3 burners going, dishwasher raging, flour covering every surface, sink full of dirty dishes– THAT’s what I mean. I really freaking cooked in there, and aside from the massive anxiety the resulting mess gave me, it felt damn good. (I mean seriously, I did a number on the kitchen but that feeling of clean after the tornado is truly unparalleled. Nothing makes you appreciate a clean kitchen more than a super dirty one).
I haven’t felt inspired to cook like that in a long time. Last week, I opened up Dumpling Lover’s Diary, my e-book dedicated to dumplings, and I felt genuinely surprised by the creativity behind the recipes and the beautiful photos. I don’t know who wrote that or who conceived of those recipes, but it wasn’t me. Not current me, at least. It was just one year ago, but the girl who wrote that book has been lost for a few months and god, I miss her. I got worried she would be lost to me forever, and the pit in my stomach caused by that thought quickly traveled to my throat where it became a knot, and then to my eyes where it became slow, salty tears.
But enough of the depressing stuff. The important thing is I’m cooking, baby, and the recipe du jour is sweet potato gnocchi in a rosemary lemon butter (Has anything ever sounded more comforting??).
Here’s the thing about gnocchi: they can either be the easiest thing in the world to make (easier than, let’s say, any other kind of fresh pasta) or they can be finicky little bastards. There’s a lot at play here: starchiness of potatoes, moisture content, flour to moisture ratio, etc. And different potatoes have different levels of starch and moisture! I’m not just talking about different types of potatoes - I mean literally, individual potatoes vary. Fun times. You have to knead the dough but you can’t knead it *too* much or your gnocchi will be chewy. (But don’t get me wrong: I like my potato gnocchi firm and bouncy as opposed to “light & pillowy” like their ricotta-based cousins.) Pasta-making is so fun and vague, right? Speaking of vague, this is a non-recipe recipe: I’ve provided measurements but I’m gonna be honest, they don’t matter all that much. It’s all about feelings. Is there enough flour in the gnocchi dough? Feel it out. Is there enough lemon juice in the butter sauce? Feel it out. You know what I mean? You’ve got this.
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Sweet potato gnocchi with lemon & rosemary
WHAT YOU NEED
For the gnocchi:
3-4 large sweet potatoes
2 cups flour (or more)
Salt to taste
For the sauce:
1 stick butter
1 lemon
A few sprigs rosemary
Salt to taste
Ricotta for serving (optional)
WHAT YOU DO
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Halve the sweet potatoes and bake flesh-side down on an oiled sheet pan for about 45 minutes or until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Allow to cool down.
Remove the skins and mash the sweet potatoes. Work flour into the potatoes about ¼ cup at a time. Stop adding flour when the potatoes are no longer sticky and be careful not to over-knead or your gnocchi will be chewy! Cut the dough ball into about 8 pieces and cover with a kitchen towel so it doesn’t dry out.
Place one piece of dough on a well floured work surface. Use your hands to gently roll the dough back and forth into a cylindrical rope that’s about a 1/2 inch in circumference. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces. If you want to use a fork or a gnocchi board to imprint the gnocchi with a fancy design, go for it! Just slide the gnocchi down the fork or board with your thumb to create a textured surface.
Place the finished gnocchi on a floured sheet pan. Repeat until all the dough is done. Pro tip: gnocchi freeze really well so don’t feel pressured to cook up the entire batch.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and boil until they float to the surface.
Meanwhile, add a stick of butter to a skillet on low heat along with a sprig of rosemary. If you’re not making all the gnocchi, you won’t need a whole stick. My general rule of thumb is to use about 2 tablespoons of butter per serving (a serving to me is roughly a plateful of gnocchi - whatever you’d eat in one sitting). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked gnocchi to the butter skillet. Squeeze some lemon juice in there and continue tossing. Salt to taste.
Plate up with a dollop of ricotta, freshly cracked pepper and an olive oil drizzle. Grate some lemon zest on there too - why not??