Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I love traditional gnocchi, but it's a no-no on the South Beach Diet.  White potatoes are high on the glycemic index.  But sweet potatoes, they're a go-go.  Mashed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, and now sweet potato gnocchi.  I came across this recipe on one of my favorite Blogs:  Kath Eats Real Food.  I was immediately intrigued, so today I tested it out.  O. M. G. !!!!!  These little morsels are the BOMB!  (Am I dating myself by using the phrase "the bomb"?)

There are a few steps so it does take a little time to make, but the end result is so worth it.  My toddler gobbled a handful of them as soon as they were just marginally cool enough for her to chew, and the hubby stated that this should be put into the weekly rotation.  As in every week.  And for breakfast.  Drizzled with a bit of maple syrup.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Lifted directly from this recipe with very few modifications.

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, well baked or microwaved, cooled
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1.5 - 2 cups whole wheat flour (plus more for rolling)
• olive oil

Directions:

• Scoop the flesh out of the sweet potatoes and place into a large mixing bowl.  Discard skin.
• Add salt, cinnamon and egg and stir until well incorporated.
• Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time and mix thoroughly in between.  Continue adding flour and mixing until the dough has lost about 80% of its stickiness.  (Better to have it a little too sticky than to add too much flour because that can toughen the gnocchi.)
• The original recipe says to turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead it up into a tighter ball.  However, because I don't have a functional countertop (that's a story for another day), I was limited by the size of my cutting board.  So instead of working with the entire ball of dough all at once, I floured my cutting board and scooped out heaping spoonfuls of the dough and rolled them out.  It took a bit longer to do it this way because I had about 8-10 smaller rolls, but it worked for me.
• Roll the dough out into thin tubes.  Make sure to sprinkle enough flour over the dough to keep it from sticking to your working surface and hands.
• Cut tube into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook the dough pieces in about 4 batches so as not to overcrowd the pot.  Boil for about 5 minutes until the gnocchi float to the top.
• Remove gnocchi with a strainer and place in an ice water bath for a couple of minutes to stop the cooking.  Drain them once they're cooled.
• Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat along with a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté 1/4 of the batch of gnocchi for a few minutes until a nice brown crust forms.  (Sprinkle w/ a little bit of basil or rosemary or thyme or whatever you like.)
• Serve immediately.  

If you want to freeze some for later, you'll need to do it after boiling and draining them but before sautéing them.  Place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze until solid, about an hour.  Then take the frozen bites and put them into a plastic freezer bag.  When you're ready to eat them, place the bag in the fridge to thaw for a few hours (I usually do it the night before) and then sauté as usual.

These little gems are sweet, crusty, chewy, 100% South Beach Diet legal, and 100% delicious.  Enjoy!