Potato and pumpkin gnocchi with sage and goat cheese

Preparation time is 2 hours.

Ease of preparation is easy.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds boiling potatoes
• 1 cup baked pumpkin or squash, a dry, dense variety such as Kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin
• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (approximately, you may need more for dusting the work surface)
• ¼ cup butter
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese

Directions

1. Many recipes for potato gnocchi contain eggs or egg yolks to bind them. Purists know that this can make the gnocchi tough and rubbery. The key to tender gnocchi is to choose the perfect, starchy potato such as a Russet or those big bakers sold in a regular grocery store. Never try to use a new potato as this would lead to a disaster that would fall apart!
2. Boil the potatoes, unpeeled in abundant water. (Do not test them too often by puncturing with a fork or they will become waterlogged.) When cooked, drain the potatoes and peel them as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Puree the cooked potatoes and the baked squash through a food mill or a potato ricer while they are still warm.
3. Add most of the flour to the mashed potatoes and knead them into a smooth mixture. Some potatoes take more flour than others so it is best not to add all the flour at once. Stop adding flour when the mixture is soft, smooth and still lightly sticky. Form a large ball from the mixture and set aside to begin making the gnocchi.
4. Take a handful of the mixture and roll in into sausage like rolls about the size of a large thumb, then cut the rolls into ¾ inch lengths.
5. Although hard to explain, forming the gnocchi is actually quite easy once you get the hang of it. Place your thumb in the centre of one of the cylinders and roll it towards you a quarter to a half of a turn, which will form an indentation in the gnocchi and give it a slightly plump oval shape. Try to keep your hands dry and free of dough and work as quickly as possible. If a few of the gnocchi end up deformed, they can be re rolled with the next batch. Place the formed gnocchi on lightly floured trays.
6. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt when you are ready to cook. Have a colander and the butter for sauce ready as the gnocchi will cook very quickly. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter until it turns golden brown and begins to smell nutty. Remove the butter from heat and add the sage.
7. Use the brown sage butter to butter a casserole dish, reserving the majority to mix with the gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi in batches by dropping them in the boiling water quickly but one by one. (They will sink at first, but then quickly rise to the surface) when the surface of the water is filled with floating gnocchi remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the casserole dish, adding a little of the butter on top. Repeat until the gnocchi are all cooked. Crumble the goat cheese on top of the casserole dish and broil them on the middle rack of the oven under a preheated broiler until the goat cheese melts and the butter begins to sizzle, about 3 minutes.
8. Serve immediately.