Toasted Sweet Potato Gnocchi served over Couscous with a Sweet Ginger Garlic Sauce

We’re back at it tonight with another sweet potato recipe. Yes, I know it’s smack in the middle of summer…who cares? Who says that sweet potatoes are only reserved for the fall? This Toasted Sweet Potato Gnocchi served over Couscous with a Sweet Ginger Garlic Sauce is super filling and a great way to get a “pasta fix” when you are craving carbs without all the guilt!

Admittedly, this recipe does have a few more steps than some of the dishes that I usually share on the blog because you do have to make the sweet potato gnocchi but the good news is that if you are are only cooking for on or two…or if you are super on-the-ball and are in the habit of meal prep, you have make a big batch and freeze what you don’t use tonight for another meal later! Personally, what I love about this recipe is making the gnocchi from scratch, even if it is a little more work because it means that I know exactly what is going into the food that I am eating…no excess salt or synthetic preservatives, just natural ingredients that I have prepared myself!

What you are going to need to buy:

Boxed Couscous - (we like the Near East brand and they have several to choose from!)

Veggie Stock or Bouillon – (we like the “Not Chicken Bouillon” by Edward and Sons

Olive Oil  

Red Onion, small, diced (only half)

Minced Garlic

Sweet Potato (Medium)

Brown Sugar

All Purpose Flour

Baking Powder

Salt & Pepper

Vegan Mayo (We Like JUST Mayo)

Agave Syrup

Lime Juice

Powdered Ginger

Fresh Thyme (We used Lemon Thyme)

Cashews

 

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe technically comes together in only two pots…but one of them is only used to boil water…so, does that even really count?

Making the Gnocchi:

Let’s get cooking. Preheat your over to 400.

Step one in this recipe is to roast your sweet potato(s). Yes, you need to roast them. No, please do not boil them. The key to really good gnocchi that isn’t too dense or gummy is to incorporate as little flour as possible to have the dough come together. By roasting your sweet potatoes, you are also dehydrating them just a bit, which means less flour needed later on. This, obviously, is why you don’t want to boil off your poatoes to soften them…more water = more flour. Not ideal. (If you are really in a pinch, you can use the microwave.)

Once your potatoes are roasted, soft, and cooled you need to remove the insides from the skin and mash or puree them. If you are only making a small batch (one sweet potato) you can easily do this by hand with a fork. Once the sweet potato mixture is smooth and free of most large lumps add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and one teaspoon of baking powder, per medium potato.

Next comes the flour. This is hard to measure, because of the size of the sweet potato used, and the water content left in the potato after roasting, the amount of flour for this step will vary. Slowly add in flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Try not to overwork the dough. Gently incorporate the flour until just combined. We are looking for a texture that is slightly less dense than traditional pasta dough. You will need to be able to work/roll the dough into “snakes” on your work surface without the dough sticking to the counter, or your hands.

Once dough is rolled into 1/2” wide snakes, cut 1/2” pieces so you have little sweet potato “pillows” At this stage you can either roll into balls, roll into logs, leave in pillow shape, or use your thumb, and the back of a fork to create the traditional “gnocchi” shape. My advice? If you are making this at home…skip the fancy stuff…it all taste the same in the end, and after boiling and frying the fork/tine marks that are seen on traditional gnocchi get a little lost, anyway.

Making the Couscous:

At this point we are going to shift gears and make our couscous. The first step to this recipe, or any recipe involving couscous is to dry toast the couscous. This sounds more complicated than it actually is and in the end gives the finished dish a much more complex depth of flavor- It only takes two minutes! Do not skip this step.

In a medium saucepan, bring enough salted water, to cook the gnocchi, to a boil. We are going to boil the gnocchi like pasta, so think the amount of water you would use for medium pasta shells. The water should come up to boiling while your couscous cooks.

In a medium saucepan, on medium/low heat measure out the desired amount of couscous, according to the boxed directions, for the number of serving you need to make. Add to this the minced garlic, one sprig and onions. I almost always use the minced garlic that comes jarred in the produce section. One teaspoon for every half-cup of dry couscous you are cooking.

Let the couscous, onions, and garlic toast in the warm pan, stirring or agitating the pan often so that the contents do not burn. After about 90 seconds you should see the couscous pearls begin to turn from blond to light brown. When this happens take the saucepan off the heat. It will continue to toast, from the residual heat but you don’t want it to burn.

Bring your couscous saucepan back over to medium heat and add the veggie stock. (Follow the boxed directions of your couscous for the recommend amount of liquid) Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat and cover for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan and that the liquid is being absorbed.  If, after 10 minutes) the couscous seems too runny, take the lid off the saucepan and some of that excess water should boil/evaporate off.

Once the Couscous has absorbed all the liquid and is creamy, remove from pan and place in a bowl or on a plate, covered, to stay warm. Clean out the pot/pan the best you can because this is what we are going to toast/fry our gnocchi in, after it comes out of the water, to make them crunchy.

Cooking the Gnocchi:

At this point your “pasta water” aka gnocchi water should be at a light boil. With a slotted spoon, add gnocchi to the water, being careful not to overcrowd the pot if you making a large portion. The gnocchi will immediately sink and will float when finished cooking.

In the original couscous pot/pan add a handful of cashews, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and, if you have it on-hand, a splash of your favorite balsamic vinegar. Once the gnocchi float in the boiling water, remove them and transfer to the pot with the cashews, over medium/high heat to toast or get a little crunchy. Continually stir or shake the pot/pan so that the gnocchi do not stick or burn. This takes about 4 minutes or so.

Making the Sweet Ginger Sauce:

In a small dish combine 2 tablespoons vegan mayo with a splash of agave syrup, lime juice, minced garlic and powdered ginger. (Add ginger to taste…but, be brave, don’t skimp!) Stir until smooth and well incorporated.

Plating and Service:

Serve the crunchy sweet potato gnocchi and cashews over the warm couscous, and top with the sweet ginger and garlic dressing. Add fresh thyme, to garnish.