Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Kale

Note: Recipe is best if you have a potato ricer.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a sharp knife, poke several holes in each sweet potato. Put them onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake until tender. Depending on their size, this could take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. They will be soft to the touch when done.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the oven and slice each one open immediately to release steam and let it cool slightly. Scoop out the flesh and put the flesh through a potato ricer.

Place the riced potatoes in a non-stick skillet heated over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, or until some of the liquid has cooked off. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool slightly.

When cooled slightly, add the egg yolk, salt and a half cup of the flour. Stir to incorporate. The goal is to add as little flour as possible, so keep adding flour little by little until the potatoes form enough of a dough that it can be rolled out into gnocchi. It will still be a bit sticky.

Transfer the dough to a flat surface dusted with more flour. Cut the dough into four pieces. One by one, roll each out into a log about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. You can dust more flour on top of the dough to make this easier. Using a sharp knife, cut each log into pieces about an inch long. Transfer the pieces to a parchment lined or flour coated surface. Set aside.

For the sausage and kale, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook for a few minutes, until browned. Add the garlic and chili flakes, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Then, add the kale, season with a dash of salt, turn down the heat to medium, and cover. Cook for about five minutes, stirring the kale around occasionally. Remove the lid and allow the kale to finish wilting and the liquid mostly evaporate. Remove pan from heat.

Cook the gnocchi in a pot of heavily salted boiling water for just a couple of minutes until they float. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the sausage and kale mixture, reserving a bit of pasta water.

Add a small ladle full of pasta water and the Parmesan to the gnocchi, sausage, and kale. Cook for a minute until a light sauce forms. Serve with additional Parmesan on top.

Sausage and Kale adapted from Bev Cooks.