Still winter. Still cold. Still eating comfort food. In my case, that means potatoes. They are my go-to comfort food. Mashed potatoes when I’m not feeling well. Baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and cheese when Eric is traveling and I’m on my own for dinner. The recipe below has been added to my Winter Comfort food collection. It boasts two kinds of potatoes, a rich but subtle sage-butter sauce, and the crunch of toasted hazelnuts. It is a comforting winter food, either as a vegetarian main or a side dish.
Both white (Irish) potatoes and sweet potatoes were first cultivated in South America and brought to Europe by explorers. Sweet potatoes are one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind. Both of these vegetables are in the top ten most important food crops in the world, with white potatoes being slightly ahead of sweet potatoes. White potatoes are a tuber (thickened underground stem) while sweet potatoes are a storage root. They are only distantly related to each other, but they are great together, especially in this meal!
Gnocchi & Sweet Potatoes with Sage Butter Sauce
Gnocchi & Sweet Potatoes with Sage-Butter Sauce (adapted from realsimple.com) Total Time Required: 20 minutes, Hands-On Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 4 main dish or 6 side dish servings
Ingredients:
- 8-10 ounces (about 2 medium) sweet potatoes, diced
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, divided- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lightly minced fresh sage leaves
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Prep all the ingredients first.
Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.
Cook the sweet potatoes.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sage and cook until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic and sage to a paper towel.
Cook the garlic and sage.
Add the gnocchi to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, about 3 minutes.
Add the gnocchi to the skillet.
Cook the gnocchi until they are slightly browned.
Add the sherry to the pan and cook until it has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until it is again reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the sherry and stock to the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the sweet potatoes and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and stir it all together until the butter is melted.
Add the sweet potatoes and the butter to the pan.
Serve the gnocchi topped with the hazelnuts, garlic, and sage.
Serve the dish with the hazelnuts, garlic, and sage.
This is serious comfort! ~Linda
Gnocchi & Sweet Potatoes with Sage-Butter Sauce (adapted from realsimple.com) Total Time Required: 20 minutes, Hands-On Time: 15 minutes, Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 8-10 ounces (about 2 medium) sweet potatoes, diced
- 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lightly minced fresh sage leaves
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sage and cook until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic and sage to a paper towel. Add the gnocchi to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry to the pan and cook until it has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the stock, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until it is again reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the sweet potatoes and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and stir it all together until the butter is melted.
Serve the gnocchi topped with the hazelnuts, garlic, and sage.