Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Leaves

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Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Leaves

It’s fall and the pumpkins are calling me!  What better time to enjoy a wonderful plate of Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Leaves. These Pumpkin Gnocchi are soft and pillowy!  They are flavored by the wonderful, nutty brown butter sauce and topped with crispy sage leaves.

This recipe involves several steps.  I highly recommend reading the recipe thoroughly and also reading the Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter) recipe if you have never made brown butter before.  I did make the Crispy Sage Leaves the day before.

For this recipe, you will need:

• Sage leaves
• Cooking oil for frying
• Cooked pumpkin pulp (riced)  (Alternate:  Pumpkin Puree Drained, Buttternut or Acorn Squash)
• Yukon gold potato (or russet) (riced)
• All-purpose flour
• Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Ground nutmeg
• Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette) – 1 stick butter
• Ground sage
• Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

You will need the following equipment:

• Medium Frying pan for the sage leaves.  You can make these ahead of time.  Then clean the pan and reuse it to finish your Pumpkin Gnocchi in the Brown Butter.
• Oven
• Aluminum foil
• Large pot – to boil the Pumpkin Gnocchi
• If you use Pumpkin Puree:  You will also need a medium size bowl, a large strainer and cheesecloth to drain the liquid from the pumpkin puree.
• Potato Ricer
• Clean Hands

In a medium size pan, fry the sage leaves in oil until crisp.  Remove the sage leaves from the pan.  Place the crispy sage leaves on a plate that is lined with paper towels to drain.  Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cut your pumpkin in half or quarters depending on the size or your pumpkin.   Wrap each piece in aluminum foil.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake your pumpkin at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, for 30-45 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is soft.  Remove from the oven.  Scoop out the pumpkin flesh.

NOTE:  You can use canned pumpkin puree.  You will need a bowl, large strainer and cheesecloth (fold in half).  Canned pumpkin puree is half liquid.  Use two 15 ounce cans.  Place the pumpkin puree into the cheesecloth that you have lined your strainer with.  Allow the liquid to drain for 3-4 hours.  You will still need to gently squeeze out additional liquid.  You will only get about 1 cup of pumpkin for each can of puree.

Peel and boil your potatoes in salted water.  Drain the potatoes.

Place your flour in a ring on your counter (or marble surface).  Rice your warm potatoes and pumpkin flesh (or drained pumpkin puree) into the center (well) of the flour.  Add the grated cheese, kosher salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.  Gently mix the flour with the potatoes and pumpkin mixture.

Alternate Method:  Rice the warm pumpkin flesh (or drained pumpkin puree) and the potatoes into a bowl.  With one hand, gently mix in the flour,  grated cheese, kosher salt, black pepper, and nutmeg until you get it  combined and shaped into a ball.

The dough will be soft.  Pull off some dough and roll it out into a log on a floured surface.  Cut the log into 1 inch pieces.   Roll each piece across the fork with your thumb.  I rolled some of the pieces across the fork, but the first couple of batches I didn’t do that.  Repeat until you have made all the gnocchi. Let them sit for a few minutes while you make your brown butter.

In a large pot, boil salted water to cook your Gnocchi.

Brown Butter  (Beurre Noisette):  For this recipe, use only 1 stick of butter.  In a medium size frying pan, melt the butter over medium low heat until the butter starts to melt and foam.  The milk solids will come up to the top, but do not remove them.  Turn the heat down to low and let the butter caramelize to a golden brown.  Watch Carefully!!! Do NOT let the bits on the bottom of the pan turn black.  The butter will become burned and bitter.  The butter will start to change color as the foam subsides (small bubbles), approximately 6-9 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any remaining foam.  Keep it to a nice light golden brown so it doesn’t burn.  Add the ground sage to the butter while it is cooking to impart the sage flavor into the brown butter.  Keep the brown butter on low.

Place your Gnocchi into the boiling water.  Gently move the gnocchi in the beginning so they don’t stick.  Once the gnocchi floats to the top (approximately 3-5 minutes, they can be removed with a slotted spoon and placed directly into the brown butter and sage to finish.

Serve immediately.  Sprinkle with crushed crispy sage leaves and some Pecorino Romano.

NOTE:  You can use pumpkin, butternut or acorn squash for this recipe.

If you prefer, you can make a quick tomato sauce and use that instead.  It taste just as good.  Boil the Pumpkin Gnocchi.  When they float, move them to the tomato sauce and cook for a few minutes to let the sauce soak into the Pumpkin Gnocchi.

An Arugula Salad would pair nicely with this Finished Dish.

NOTE:

• These Pumpkin Gnocchi can shaped and frozen prior to frying. Shape the Pumpkin Gnocchi.  Lay them out in rows on something that you can place in the freezer.  Let freeze for 2 hours, then toss into a Ziploc Freezer Bag.
• You can also freeze the uncooked dough.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc Freezer Bag.

If you like my Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Leaves recipe, please comment below.  If you made it, post your wonderful images on Instagram and tag me. Don’t forget to go back to the The Finished Dish’s Home Page, scroll down on the right side and subscribe.  You will be emailed each time I post a new recipe.

Beurre Noisette

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