Date Night at Home: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage

Just like every Thursday, today is Sweetgrass Social's Date Night at Home! This week we are featuring a Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe from Epicurious. When made with sweet potatoes, these gnocchi dumplings have a much lighter texture. The fresh ricotta also contributes to this light and flavorful dish.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Sugar & Sage

Ingredients
2 1-lb red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with a fork
1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours beforehand
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tsp plus 2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 tbsp chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Directions
Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl.
Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 tsp salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend.
Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.
Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces.
Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky.
Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.
Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tbsp salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely (can be made 4 hours ahead... let stand at room temperature).
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.
Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Saute until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes.
Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.
Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.