Baked Gnocchi with Butternut Squash & Bacon in a Sage Cream Sauce


Serves 6

Ingredients

1 pound Potato Gnocchi, cooked (recipe follows)
1½ cups butternut squash, roasted, peeled and cubed small
3 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 cup purple or Tuscan kale, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped fine
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients until well mixed. Grease a shallow pan (one that the mixture will fit in compactly, not closely). Place the mixture in the greased shallow pan and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Potato Gnocchi

Makes 2 pounds Gnocchi

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and baked
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Mash the potatoes and push through a ricer or food mill. Place the smooth potatoes in a mound on a cutting board. Drizzle a little more than half the egg and sprinkle half the flour over the top. Using a bench scraper, slowly incorporate the egg and flour into the potato by pushing the scraper under and over the mixture, until all of the egg and flour is incorporated. The dough should become moist and pillowy, not sticky (small amounts of flour can be added to the dough to keep it from getting sticky).
When all the ingredients appear mixed, do a final mixing using hands to make sure all ingredients are incorporated and that dough had become soft and pillowy. Cut dough into 10 pieces and roll each piece into a long rope about the thickness of an index finger. Dust with flour as needed.

Proceed with shaping the gnocchi using one of the gnocchi methods, such as the Traditional Fork Method, the Gnocchi or Cavatelli Board Method, or simple Rope & Cut Method.