Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Nick keeps telling me how amazing Gnocchi is and how he loves when I make it.  I swore to him that I've never made Gnocchi before in my life... and I would know.  But he insists that I have so I'm convinced I bought a premade package from the store along with a jar of Ragu back in our college days and thinks he loved it.  Anywho... he ordered it several times on our honeymoon so I came back willing to try and create what Italy had to offer.  The first time I made it, I didn't mash my potatoes enough, resulting in chunky Gnocchi.  It was pretty inedible. You're supposed to use a ricer to get the potatoes really fine, but that's just another object in the kitchen that'll take up space, so I'm determined to make my 1970's potato masher work. 

The second time I tried to make Gnocchi, I wanted to add a little more depth of flavor, so I made it with butternut squash.  It was very yummy!  I will definitely make this again.  It's a perfect fall dish with awesome flavors.  I must say though that I didn't really like the sauce I made beside it.  It was a cream sauce and I think this dish needs something lighter like a white wine butter sauce would be perfect! 

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups pureed butternut squash (you want your squash to be very dry so try roasting it with no additions)

1/2 baked potato, smashed (again, bake the potato. If you boil it, it'll retain water ending in mush)

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 - 2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Mix the mashed squash and potato together.  Add the egg yolk into the squash mixture.  Mix together the flour, nutmeg, and salt.  Slowly stir the flour mixture into the squash mixture until it forms a soft dough.  Gently knead the dough for about a minute (don't over knead) and roll out into 4 long thin ropes, about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut the ropes into 1/2 inch pieces and roll the pieces in flour, lightly shaking off any excess.  If you have a fancy Gnocchi board, roll the pieces over your board to create ridges.  Or just use a fork if you have a tiny kitchen and no space, like me!

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil and add the Gnocchi a little bit at a time, not to crowd the pan.  Cook the Gnocchi until it floats to the top about 2-3 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.  Serve with white wine sauce (recipe below) and a pinch of nutmeg. 

White Wine Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour, whisking until pasty.  Slowly add the white wine and keep whisking to prevent clumps.  Whisk until slightly thickened and add the cheese.  Keep whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened.