Cooks Illustrated 11/2008

Ingredients 

3 Lbs. sweet potatoes, washed and peeled and cut into ¾ inch rounds

2 Tblspn Vegetable Oil

1 tsp salt

Black pepper

Preparation 

Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat with cooking spray. Put potatoes in single layer, cover tightly with foil. Adjust rack to middle position; put in cold oven; turn oven to 425 degrees and cook 30 minutes.

Remove foil; continue cooking 15-25 minutes; until bottom edges of potatoes are golden brown.

Flip potatoes, continue to roast until bottom edges are golden brown 18-22 minutes more. Remove from oven, let cool 5-10 minutes and serve.

Adapted from Epicurious.com 

Ingredients 

2 1-pound red-skinned sweet potatoes rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork

1 12-ounce container ricotta cheese1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces) 

2 tablespoons brown sugar 

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 

2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour 

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 

6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Preparation

Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for 1 hr at 400degrees. They should be soft when they are cooked through. Cut in half and allow to cool completely. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash, add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about ¾ cup at a time, until soft dough forms

Flour your hands generously, then turn dough out onto a generously floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope a little less than 1 inch in diameter. Use more flour on your hands and work surface to prevent things from getting sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Transfer pieces to a parchment lined baking sheet. Dust lightly with flour

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. 2 minutes after then float to the surface check for doness. Using a slotted spoon remove gnocchi from water and place in a shallow serving dish

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). Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper. Add gnocchi and sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 5 minutes.

The gnocchi can be frozen on the parchment lined baking sheets and used at a later date. Once frozen transfer them to a container and store in the freezer.