Sweet potato gnocchi with bacon

The idea of sweet potato gnocchi has always intrigued me. And after a rather successful batch of potato gnocchi, it was only a matter of time. Sweet potato gnocchi turned out to be slightly less fluffy than the regular one. Unlike all the Tasty videos, sweet potatoes here aren’t as orange in colour. But even whiter, so you won’t get that gorgeous colour, but a little sweet tinge of “shakarkandi”. Mine turned out to be a shade of yellow because of the organic egg that I used. Tossed it with 40% less fat bacon, and some tomatoes. Pretty neat for brunch, eh?

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Ingredients for sweet potato gnocchi – serves 1

• Sweet Potatoes – 2, medium
• All-purpose flour – 1 cup + more for dusting
• Egg – 1
• Salt – to taste
• Prime bacon – 4 to 5 streaks
• Chunky tomato sauce – 1 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Olive oil – 1 tsp
• Garlic – 4 to 5 cloves, chopped
• Oregano flakes – for seasoning
• Smoked pork salami – to garnish

Method to make the Gnocchi

• In a microwave-safe bowl, place roughly cut sweet potatoes with 2-3 tbsp water. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 5 minutes.
• Let the potatoes cool down, drain if any extra water.
• Peel the potatoes when they cool down. Use a fork to roughly mash.
• Sift the flour on a pastry board and mix into the potatoes.
• Slowly add the whisked egg and bring together to form a dough. Use flour to dust to avoid sticking.
• Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 4 parts.
• Roll one-fourth of it into a long tube, about half an inch thick. Use extra flour to dust the pastry board. Cut into 1 inch long pieces. Roll them in flour and then use a fork to add a little depression for better sauce uptake.
• Boil water in a saucepan, add some salt.
• On medium-high heat, gently drop the gnocchi into the water. When the gnocchi starts floating on the surface, use a slotted spoon to remove.

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To assemble the pasta

• In a pan, pour the olive oil and add the butter to avoid it burning.
• Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Roughly tear apart the bacon and cook till done.
• Add the cooked gnocchi, tomato sauce and a splash of water. Mix well.
• Cook for a minute or two until the pasta comes together and then remove from heat.
• Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle some oregano and dress with the smoked pork salami for an extra punch.