Your family will simply love these light, pillowy gnocchi with the hearty flavour of russet potatoes! Enjoy this warm and comforting dish topped with the delicious flavours of homemade butternut squash sauce and freshly grated Romano cheese. Serve as a main with some salad or as a delicious side dish.
Yield: 6 servings
Calories per serving: 482
Ingredients:
Gnocchi
- 3 lbs. Russet potatoes, thoroughly scrubbed
- 2-2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp Crystal Margarine, melted
- 1½ tsp sea salt
Butternut Squash Sauce
- 1.5 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 2 tsp Crystal Margarine
- ¼ cup half and half cream, plus more to taste
- 4 shallots, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh grated Romano cheese, plus 3 tbsp for garnish
- ½ tsp dried rubbed sage
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- Italian parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Set oven to preheat at 425F. Pierce the skin of each potato several times with the tip of a steak knife. Brush melted Crystal Margarine over potatoes and season with sea salt. Set on baking sheet and bake until tender, checking at the 1-hour mark.
- While potatoes are baking, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft.
- Blend cooked squash in a food processor or with an immersion blender, and slowly add about ¼ half and half cream to thin the consistency.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium-low heat and add the 2 tbsp of Crystal Margarine. Sauté chopped shallots and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the pureed squash mixture, and season with dried rubbed sage and salt and pepper to taste. Add more half and half if the mixture appears thicker than a pasta sauce. Add 3 tbsp Romano cheese, mix, and set aside on a warm burner.
- Check if potatoes are soft, and continue to check every 10 minutes until fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool just enough to handle (but while still warm) before peeling off skin. Use a fork to break potatoes into fine pieces.
- Turn out potato pieces onto a clean, large cutting board or countertop. Add beaten egg, and slowly add flour in ½ cup increments and mix until dough forms a ball. The dough should be slightly tacky but not stick to the countertop. Add a bit more flour to your workspace and roll smaller sections of the dough into long 1” thick ropes. Cut into ½” squares and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Press a fork onto each dough square to make a decorative “gnocchi” shape.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add gnocchi in batches, stirring gently to avoid sticking. Gnocchi will float to the surface when cooked, in approximately 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out gnocchi.
- To serve, top gnocchi with butternut squash sauce and top each plate with ½ tbsp of Romano cheese and Italian parsley.