SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

6 sweet potatoes (4 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon white pepper

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 eggs

4-5 cups all purpose flour

Bake sweet potatoes at 450 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Overbake slightly making sure they’re soft inside. Let potatoes cool just enough to be able to handle; they should not cool down completely.

Scrape out the insides of the potatoes with a spoon into a mixing bowl with all of the other ingredients except the flour. Use the dough hook attachment. When the ingredients are incorporated, add the flour, one cup at a time. The dough is finished when it is firm but yielding and slightly sticky. Knead by hand and roll into a ball. Place a damp cloth over the ball and put into the refrigerator for one hour.

Lightly flour your working surface. Cut the ball into six pieces, and roll each into a rope between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces flouring them as you go.

Roll each piece on the back side of a fork or a gnocchi board. The gnocchi are now ready to cook or freeze.

About 8 ounces of gnocchi is a good portion.

When cooking the gnocchi, bring water to a boil and cook until they float for 2 minutes.