Category Archives: Photography

I had a really fun day yesterday preparing Junglefrog’s latest “Orange Photography” challenge.

Since Simone posted the assignment with a gorgeous pumpkin-bowl soup image, I’ve been trawling the web for recipes for orange coloured food which also evokes the feeling of Fall. I thought I’d have a go at making some Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage. This being my first attempt at home-made gnocchi I am pleased with the outcome: they’re perhaps not the cutest gnocchi you’ve ever seen, but the consistency and flavour are spot on. The rest of the batch is in the fridge for a dinner party I’m throwing, which funnily enough is made up by chance of “orange” coloured dishes: Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Chicken Curry with Wild Rice, and a Hazelnut Cake with Saffron Cream and Fresh figs! It should be fun and I’ll let you know how the cake comes out.

In the meanwhile, here’s the recipe:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Butter
(source Bon Appétit)

2 lbs (450g) sweet potatoes, rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
12oz (340g) fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
1 cup (85g) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Cook the sweet potatoes (either microwave or peel and boil). Mash once cooked. In a large bowl, add to the mashed potatoes the ricotta, Parmesan, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

On a floured surface divide the dough into pieces and roll into long rope. Cut each rope into 1 inch pieces and roll each piece over with a fork to indent.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and working in batches, boil the gnocchi about 5 minutes (they float when ready). Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter becomes brown (but not burned!), swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped sage and remove from heat. Season the sage butter with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté half of the gnocchi until heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty into an oven-proof baking sheet and place in warmed oven to keep while sautéing the remainder gnocchi.

Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.