Luck of the Not-So Irish!
I am not Irish, but in honor of St. Patty's Day this week, I made a dinner tonight incorporating a couple of my favorite Irish ingredients - leeks and potatoes. There would have been a dessert too, but I have waaay too much pie leftover from Saturday. Also, I might have had a teensy weensy little fainting incident at work today, so I didn't exactly feel up to making an army-sized meal. For Dinner, I made Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Sage Butter along with Warm Leeks with Dijon and Walnuts. Here are the recipes:
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Sage Butter: Yields 2 and 1/2 lbs of Gnocchi (About 6-8 Servings)
1 and 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 and 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp salt
Additional all-purpose or rice flour, for dusting
1. Bake or microwave potatoes until tender. Cool.
2. Scoop out flesh of both potatoes and run through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl (a hand masher will work if neither of these are available).
3. Add flour, egg, maple syrup and salt, mixing with hands until combined and forms a soft dough. Let rest for 2 minutes.
4. Working with equal-sized pieces (4 or 5), roll out the dough into a rope that is about 1-inch thick. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Dust with additional all-purpose or rice flour and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. They can either be used immediately or frozen in a single layer. Once frozen, they can then be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Thaw for up to one hour before using in the refrigerator.
To Serve: (per person)
1-2 Tbsp butter
12 gnocchi
1 Tbsp fresh sage, thinly sliced (chiffonaded)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
1. Heat butter in a small saute pan.
2. At the same time, drop gnocchi into a pot of boiling salted water (They will be done in the 1-2 minutes it takes to make the sauce).
3. When the butter is starting to brown, add sage and allow to cook until fragrant and starting to crisp. Take the butter off the heat and add the cinnamon, maple syrup and salt.
4. When they start to float, remove the gnocchi from the water with a skimmer or slotted spoon and immediately toss in maple sage butter. Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.
Warm Leeks with Dijon and Walnuts: Serves 4-6
6 medium leeks, dark green parts trimmed (also cut off a very thin section of the end, leaving most of the "root" end still intact, holding it together)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
2 Tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
1. Blanch leeks in a large pot of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and pat dry. Slice in half lengthwise. (Alternatively, the leeks can be cut in half and roasted until tender and golden)
2. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, shallot, and salt to taste. Gently toss warm leeks in vinaigrette, transfer to a serving platter and garnish with walnuts.
Hope you try these recipes at home. The gnocchi are a little time-consuming, but they are absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Sage Butter: Yields 2 and 1/2 lbs of Gnocchi (About 6-8 Servings)1 and 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 and 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp salt
Additional all-purpose or rice flour, for dusting
1. Bake or microwave potatoes until tender. Cool.
2. Scoop out flesh of both potatoes and run through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl (a hand masher will work if neither of these are available).
3. Add flour, egg, maple syrup and salt, mixing with hands until combined and forms a soft dough. Let rest for 2 minutes.
4. Working with equal-sized pieces (4 or 5), roll out the dough into a rope that is about 1-inch thick. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Dust with additional all-purpose or rice flour and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. They can either be used immediately or frozen in a single layer. Once frozen, they can then be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Thaw for up to one hour before using in the refrigerator.
To Serve: (per person)
1-2 Tbsp butter
12 gnocchi
1 Tbsp fresh sage, thinly sliced (chiffonaded)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
1. Heat butter in a small saute pan.
2. At the same time, drop gnocchi into a pot of boiling salted water (They will be done in the 1-2 minutes it takes to make the sauce).
3. When the butter is starting to brown, add sage and allow to cook until fragrant and starting to crisp. Take the butter off the heat and add the cinnamon, maple syrup and salt.
4. When they start to float, remove the gnocchi from the water with a skimmer or slotted spoon and immediately toss in maple sage butter. Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.
Warm Leeks with Dijon and Walnuts: Serves 4-66 medium leeks, dark green parts trimmed (also cut off a very thin section of the end, leaving most of the "root" end still intact, holding it together)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
2 Tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
1. Blanch leeks in a large pot of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and pat dry. Slice in half lengthwise. (Alternatively, the leeks can be cut in half and roasted until tender and golden)
2. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, shallot, and salt to taste. Gently toss warm leeks in vinaigrette, transfer to a serving platter and garnish with walnuts.
Hope you try these recipes at home. The gnocchi are a little time-consuming, but they are absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
Comments
Post a Comment