If you have been following me for a while you know how much I love gnocchi! They are just the most comforting food ever! Nothing beats a bowl of pillowy soft gnocchi on a rainy and cold day. I am going to be honest, I normally buy already made gnocchi as hey they are so convenient! But if you have a some extra time it’s really fun to have go yourself and get the kids involved too! Since these gnocchi are so filling I kept the sauce really simple. Burro & Salvia (butter and sage) is a classic Italian combination usually used to accompany tortelloni but I think it world perfectly with this dish too. The fresh sage infuse the butter with the most gorgeous flavour and it goes so well with the earthy flavour of the mushrooms. Please don’t substitute the fresh sage with dry as it won’t have the same flavour and it’s the key ingredients of the sauce!

Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:

2 large sweet potatoes 

1/2 cup of plain flour 

For the sauce:

A generous tablespoon of vegan butter 

300gr of baby chestnut mushrooms sliced in half 

1 tbsp of soy or Tamari sauce 

An handful of fresh sage leaves 

Plenty of fresh black pepper 

To make the gnocchi: 

Pierce the sweet potatoes and other bake them whole in the oven for around 40 minutes in the oven until soft and squishy or to save time, cook them in the microwave for 10 minutes ( I used the microwave). Once cooked let them cool down for 10-15 minutes until you are able to handle them. Peel off the skin and with a fork or potato masher mash down the inside until you have a fairly smooth puree. Measure 1/2 cup of sweet potato flesh (don’t use the rest).

Dust your work surface with some flour and place the sweet potato mash in the middle. Add on top and the flour and with your hands mix together. The dough will be slightly wet, don’t worry totally normal! If it stick to your working surface add extra flour. Divide the dough into small balls.

Roll each balls into long logs, cut the log into pieces, about 2 1/2 cm wide. Press a fork into the gnocchi to create “grooves” (optional). Repeat the process until you have used up all the dough.

To make the sauce add the butter to a large pan, once hot add in the sliced mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms on a fairly high heat until they start to brown. Add in the sage leaves and the dash of soy sauce and cook for another 4-5 minutes. 

Boil a large pan of water and add a pinch of salt. Once the water is boiling gently drop the gnocchi in. If you are cooking all of them you might want to cook them in batches (about 20 each time) Cook the gnocchi until the float to the surface (about 2-3 minutes). Remove the gnocchi and toss them in the pan with the butter & sage sauce. Give them a good shake around so they coated in the sauce and serve with plenty of black pepper.