Lunch: Sweet Potato Gnudi with Sage Butter

Recipe by Cazuela 'Gnudi' (or 'naked' ravioli without a pasta jacket) are tender dumplings simmered like gnocchi and, when made with sweet potatoes and finished in sage butter, present beautifully for a delicious autumn dish.

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
2 egg yolks
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1/4 cup semolina flour, or as needed
1/2 cup unsalted butter
10 whole fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Roast sweet potatoes in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour; set aside until cool enough to handle.
Halve cooled sweet potatoes lengthwise and scoop the flesh from the peels. Discard potato peels. Mash the sweet potato flesh on a work surface and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes to cool and release moisture.
Transfer mashed sweet potatoes to a bowl and mix with egg yolks, ricotta cheese, and 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Stir in salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Add flour gradually to the sweet potato mixture until the dough holds together.
Scoop dough by teaspoonful and roll into marble-size balls. Sprinkle a baking sheet generously with semolina flour and place gnudi onto the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight for best texture.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let the water simmer. Gently drop gnudi, about 12 at a time, into the simmering water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 4 minutes. Simmer for 4 more minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Keep boiled gnudi warm while you finish cooking remaining batches.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook whole sage leaves until they wilt and are beginning to brown, about 2 minutes; remove leaves. Retain butter in skillet. Stir chopped sage into the hot butter and cook until the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes. Gently mix the gnudi into the butter and sage until gnudi are coated. Garnish with whole sage leaves and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to serve.

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