Vegetarian mains
Sweet potato gnocchi with mushrooms & spinach
Making gnocchi is simple and the results are far superior to shop bought. The key to really great gnocchi is getting a nice crisp edge when frying. Butter is best for this, but if don’t eat dairy, use olive oil instead.
Try adding herbs like sage or rosemary to the sauce if you like.
Cook's notes
We've not included a weight for the flour, as it will depend on how big your sweet potatoes are and how much moisture is in them. You want the dough to be just try enough to be able to roll out without becoming a sticky mess.
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
- 1 large sweet potato
- plain flour (see Cook's notes)
- 1 egg yolk
- 40g grated Parmesan, or vegetarian alternative
For the mushroom sauce:
- 200g mixed mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small white onion
- 100g baby spinach
- Butter, or olive oil
Method
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Roast the sweet potato until soft all the way through, approx. 40 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down for at least 20 mins.
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Step 2
Peel away the sweet potato skin and put the flesh in a bowl, then mash thoroughly until smooth. Add the egg yolk, grated Parmesan, a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix. Gradually sieve the flour into the mix and combine with the spoon. Continue adding flour until a dough is formed; it should be workable without being too sticky.
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Step 3
Dust a dry work surface with flour, then roll out the mixture into a long sausage shape, about 2.5cm thick. Cut into 2.5cm sections and roll each piece into a little ball with your hands. With the back of a fork, gently press down to create little ridges in each piece.
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Step 4
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Gently add the gnocchi balls and cook until they float to the surface, then remove and place in a bowl of ice water. Do this in batches as to not overcrowd the pan.
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Step 5
Heat the butter in a frying pan, then add the onion and fry over a low heat until soft. Add the chopped mushrooms, garlic and the gnocchi to the pan and gently fry until the gnocchi has browned on the edges. Add a splash of the cooking water to the pan and add the spinach. As soon as the spinach starts to wilt, remove from the heat and serve immediately with a dusting of Parmesan, salt and pepper.