Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Creamy Feta Sauce

One of my fave ‘nouveau Greek’ combos is the pairing of sweet potatoes and Feta cheese (check out this salad).

Today, that combo returns with a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi topped with a creamy Feta sauce.

Gnocchi are usually made of potatoes and they fall into the dumpling category. They are easy to make but there are a couple of things to watch out for:

• strain the ricotta overnight in the fridge so that you won’t have to use more flour than needed, to keep your gnocchi light as pillows
• use quality Feta cheese, Greek of course for a sauce that be thick and creamy

You can make gnocchi ahead of time, spread them out on a baking sheet and throw in the freezer. Pop them in boiling water and they will float when ready (will just take a bit longer than fresh).

A little touch of fresh mint works wonderfully in this dish and some finely chopped chives to round out the dish.

Are you ready to make sweet potato gnocchi?

Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Creamy Feta Sauce

(serves 4-6)

1 lb. sweet potatoes (about 2 potatoes)

1 cup strained ricotta cheese (cold)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Feta Cream Sauce

1 1/2 cup of warm milk

1 1/2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, smashed

1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Finely hopped fresh chives and fresh mint for garnish

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Rinse your potatoes, pork a few times with a fork and place on a baking sheet and into to the oven for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes, cut in half then use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh. Place sweet potato in a bowl, discard the skins.
2. Mash the sweet potato with a fork then add the strained ricotta, parmesan, salt, pepper and mix with your hands. Now add the flour in 1/2 cup increments until the dough mixture binds well, soft dough and no longer sticky.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a loaf. Now into 6 equal pieces and roll into a rope. Cut into 1 inch segments and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. At this point, you may wish to make grooves in the gnocchi by pressing and rolling them on an inverted fork (not mandatory but nice).
5. For the Feta sauce, place a medium pot on your stove-top over medium heat and add the olive oil and flour. Stir with a wooden spoon for a minute and then add your garlic, warm milk in increments, stirring with a whisk. Once you have added all your milk, continue to stir until your sauce has thickened. Add the crumbled Feta cheese stir for a minute. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside and keep warm.
6. Place a pot of water on your stovetop over high heat. Once boiling, add salt to the water and add the gnocchi. They gnocchi are done when they float to the top.
7. Use a slotted spoon to remove gnocchi from the water, transfer to serving bowls and spoon over Feta sauce. Garnish with scallions, chives or parsley.