Recipe – Sweet potato gnocchi with glazed baby vegetables, and saffron tomato butter
Ingredients:
4 large sweet potatoes
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese
1-2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp picked thyme
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and start a large pot of salted water boiling. Place the sweet potatoes on a sheet tray and using a fork, poke four sets of holes in them. Roast for 35-45 minutes or until soft all the way through. While this is roasting, combine egg yolks and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
While the potatoes are still hot, use a potato masher or a food mill to puree them into the cheese/egg mixture. Mix well until cheese is melted and place in the fridge. Once the mixture is cool, place on a floured work surface and begin kneading the flour into it 1/2 cup at a time. Add only enough flour to make the mixture slightly firm. To test the dough as you work place a small piece in the boiling water and watch for it to float. If it breaks apart, add more flour. If it floats and is very firm and tastes like flour, you’ve added too much. Ideally use only enough flour to bind the mixture so it holds together in the water.
Once you have enough flour in the dough roll it out into 3/4-inch diameter logs and cut it into 1-inch long pieces, lightly flouring them to keep from sticking. Boil them in small batches until they float for 30 seconds, placing them immediately in a ice water bath.
Start a large sauté pan on the stove on high heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter in the pan until dark brown, sauté the gnocchi in the butter until crispy on one side, add the picked thyme and season with salt and pepper. Drain off the excess butter and serve hot.
Glazed Baby Vegetables
1 bunch baby carrots 1 bunch baby red beets
1 bunch baby yellow beets 1 bunch baby turnips
1 bunch kale 2 tbsp butter unsalted
2 tbsp champagne vinegar 3 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Peel the baby turnips and carrots and trim the greens off 1 inch from the vegetable. Place in separate pots of salted cold water and bring up to a boil, slowly poaching until tender. Once the vegetables are tender move them to a bowl of salted ice water. Peel the baby beets by hand using a towel (the peels should come right off if they are cooked through). Pull the stems off of the kale and cut into large strips. Place a large sauté pan on high heat and melt butter until dark brown. Add the baby vegetables and sauté lightly until hot. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook until the sugar melts into a light glaze. Add the kale last and cook until wilted but bright.
Serve immediately.
Tomato Saffron Butter
3 cups tomato juice (blended and strained roma tomatoes
work the best)
3 cups white wine
2 shallots
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
1 small pinch of saffron
1/2 pound of butter
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a stainless steel saucepot combine the shallots, bay, thyme, wine and tomato juice. Reduce this until only a thin layer in the bottom of the pot remains (approx. 1/4-inch thick). Strain all the liquid into a clean stainless steel pot, and add the saffron. On medium heat begin to whisk in the cold butter 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce is a velvety thick texture. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Present the dish with the sauce on the bottom of the bowl, the gnocchi and vegetables on top and fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano to finish.
Recipe by chef Jake Crenshaw of T. Maccarone
