I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for ways to get more veggies into my kids. Er, and me. With these crispy sweet potato gnocchi, we get an extra veggie boost, plus bacon. Yum.
These tasty little potato dumplings are decadent and fancy-looking, but actually super easy to make!
Honestly we’re not big sweet potato people. I want to be. I want to be one of those people who drizzles a touch of maple syrup on one and declares it “tastes like candy.”
Alas, I think it tastes like sadness.
But when you add some crispiness and some bacon? Now you’re talking!
How to Make Gnocchi
Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling that is delicious and easy to make from scratch. You simply combine riced potatoes with flour, egg, salt, and pepper; mix into a dough; then roll and slice into dumplings. Most recipes call for boiling the gnocchi, but pan frying is a delicious alternative that prevents the gnocchi from possibly breaking up in the water.
I adapted the traditional gnocchi recipe to incorporate sweet potatoes and creamy ricotta for added fiber, nutrients, and protein. Oh, and for deliciousness.
Serve on a weeknight or for a special date night in. Enjoy!
Crispy Sweet Potato Gnocchi (With Bacon)
Make this delicious crispy sweet potato gnocchi with bacon and fried sage next to you want fancy, but doable for a weeknight.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 slices of bacon
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Prick the skin of the potatoes, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 45 minutes
- Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes
- Slit open skins and allow to cool an additional 15 minutes
- In the meantime, coarsely chop the bacon and saute in a medium non-stick pan over medium heat until fat renders out and bacon is crisp (about 7 minutes)
- Set crisped bacon aside, reserving the fat in the pan
- When the potatoes are cool to the touch, remove the skins and run them through a potato ricer OR grate with a box grater over a large bowl
- Add the flour, 1/2 cup ricotta, egg, salt, and pepper to the riced potatoes
- Stir until just combined and forms a very soft dough
- Sprinkle flour onto a cutting board and roll the dough into a 1-inch thick log
- Cut log into 1-inch thick pieces and set aside (I use sheet of parchment or wax paper to set the pieces on)
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat until shimmering
- Add gnocchi and saute until crisp, about 5 minutes, turning often
- In the meantime, fry a few sage leaves in the reserved bacon fat for garnish
- To serve, add a pile of crisp gnocchi to your plate, garnish with a small dollop of the reserved ricotta, a sprinkling of bacon and parmesan, and a few fried sage leaves