Give gnocchi a go!
Many diet plans offer up sweet potatoes as healthy alternatives to other starches, primarily white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are delicious, full of vitamins and fiber, and pretty fool-proof to cook. At this point in the season, though, you might be looking for new ways to use them.
Enter the super easy Italian dumpling gnocchi. Gnocchi is a light pasta made with potatoes, flour and egg. It is basically a mashed potato nugget that is full of flavor on its own and can take on the flavor of almost any sauce. Making it with sweet potato makes it that much healthier and very flavorful.
Once you get the hang of making gnocchi, you’ll want to make it all the time. It is a great complement to many proteins, elevating dishes thanks to the handmade nature of the side. It will show a certain sophistication to whip up a few gnocchi as a side to steaks, chicken or pork. They are particularly good with anything cooked with a broth or pan sauce because they will sop up the flavors for you, making each bite full of flavor.
The dish prepared here is also rather inexpensive. Flat iron steak is a great alternative to more popular cuts at a fraction of the cost. You’ll just need to trim them a little at home to cut out some of the tough tendons, but that is fairly simple. The cut is very tender and lean, so just a short sear will do. Add a little garlic and butter, and you’ll have made one of the best steaks you’ll ever eat.
Alex and Eleta Morrison live in Macon and write a food blog, Bungalow Kitchen. Visit their blog at bungalowkitchen.wordpress.com or contact them at bungalowkitchenmacon@gmail.com.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups boiling water, salted
2 cups flour
1 egg
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
3 bulbs garlic, smashed
Salt, pepper and coriander, to taste
Place the diced potatoes in the salted boiling water and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool completely. Place into a large bowl and add the flour and egg and combine until the dough forms a ball.
Place some flour on a cutting board and knead the dough a few times. Cut the dough into discs and roll into “ropes” on the floured board. Cut into small dumplings. Boil the water and add the dumplings in batches, cooking about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the butter, garlic and spices together in a saute pan. Add the gnocchi right out of the water into the butter mix and saute another minute, making sure to cook both sides. Serve.
Flat iron steak
1 flat iron steak, trimmed
Salt and pepper to cover
1 teaspoon coffee grounds
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Coat the steak with the salt, pepper, coffee, paprika and white pepper. Hammer the steak with a meat tenderizer or fork to press the rub into the meat.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Sear the steak on one side for about 90 seconds. Flip the steak and lower the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic to the pan and repeatedly spoon the butter and garlic over the steak for two minutes. Remove from heat.
You can use this same pan for the gnocchi if you wish. Let the steak stand at least five minutes before serving.
This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Give gnocchi a go!."