Friday Food Craft: Roasted Acorn Squash Gnocchi

This was so so good! It is much easier than I thought it would be, though my gnocchi aren't shaped with the most expert hands by any means.

You will need:
1/2 an acorn squash, roasted until soft
1 medium russet potato, roasted until soft
1 egg plus 3 egg yolks
2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

First, roast your potato and your acorn squash until the flesh is tender, about 40 minutes (my potato took longer than the squash). Set these aside to cool 10-15 minutes.

Next, use a potato ricer or a box grater and grate your squash and potato into a large mixing bowl (I used a box grater as I do not have a potato ricer, but the texture from a ricer is much smoother in the end product).

Separate your egg yolks and mix them together with your whole egg. Add this to your squash/potato mixture.

Add about 1 1/4 cups of flour and mix your dough well, add more flour as needed (the final dough should be firm, not sticky.

To form the gnocchi I separated my dough into 4 or 5 smaller balls. Roll each one into a large "snake" and cut pieces about 1 inch in length. Roll each piece along the back of a fork to give your gnocchi grooves for your sauce (there will also be a nice thumb dent in the back for more yummy sauce!).

Boil your gnocchi in batches, it is done when it floats to the surface. I use a straining spoon to get mine out so the water never stops boiling between batches.

Add any sauce you like. The flavor from the squash is very subtle, so this is a great way to get some extra nutrients in your diet. I added a garlic butter sauce, but a cream sauce, tomato sauce, etc would be fabulous. I think next time I will try a brown butter sauce with nutmeg. Yummy!