Mustard Portobello Mushrooms and Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I've been dying to make Gnocchi and was a little intimidated by the whole process, but not anymore.  I chose Choloe's recipe because of its Sweet Potato base vs. regular potatoes.  You can use any kind of sauce you'd like, her recipe called for a vegan butter and sage sauce which I may try next time.  Since this was a side for the Portobello Mushrooms, I wanted a sauce with a little more zip.

Mustard Portobello Mushrooms and Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Sauce inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe

Sweet Potato Gnocchi:  Choloe’s Kitchen recipe by Chloe Coscarelli

http://www.chefchloe.com

2            large Portobello Mushrooms, cleaned and stem removed

2            teaspoons oil

2            garlic cloves, minced

1/2         cup hard cider (or apple juice with a splash of apple cider vinegar)

1            tablespoon whole-grain mustard (I used mustard w/horseradish sauce)

1/2         soy creamer

              salt and pepper

****play around with the amounts.  I wanted extra sauce so I probably added a bit more of everything and seasoned to taste.

Grill the Mushrooms in a sauté pan in olive oil tops down.  Brush inside with a bit of oil and sprinkle salt and pepper.  I turned my mushrooms over one but ended  up with topside down. 

Sauce:  Add oil to a separate sauce pan, add garlic cloves, hard cider/juice, mustard and creamer.  Let simmer and thicken a bit.  Add seasoning.

Add sauce to mushroom pan and heat through.  Add cooked Gnocchi to pan and sauce, cook a few minutes until sauce really works into Mushrooms and Gnocchi.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

***Uncooked gnocchi can be made in advance and kept frozen for up to 1 month or refrigerated for 3-4 days until ready to boil.

2            large red-skinned sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)

1            teaspoon sea salt

1/2         teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4         teaspoon black pepper, plus extra for serving

2  & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork, place in a baking pan, and bake until fully cooked, about 45-60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Using a sharp knife, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh out of each sweet potato into a medium bowl.  Thoroughly mash the sweet potatoes while they are still warm, then set aside or refrigerate to cool completely.

Add salt, nutmeg, and pepper to the sweet potatoes.  Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with a spoon to combine.  Once a soft, slightly sticky, dough has formed, divide it into six portions.  Generously flour the work surface and your hands.  Roll each portion of dough into ropes about 1/2 inch in diameter.  Each rope will be approximately 7-9 inches long.  Dip a sharp knife in flour and cut each rope into 1-inch pillows.  If desired, roll each pillow on fork tines to make decorative ridges.

Fill a medium saucepan with heavily salted water and bring it to a boil.  When the water is boiling, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and gently drop in the gnocchi about 20 at a time.  The gnocchi will float to the surface in about 4 minutes.  Continue to cook about 30 seconds more.  Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the mushrooms and mustard sauce

***Uncooked gnocchi can be made in advance and kept frozen for up to 1 month or refrigerated for 3-4 days until ready to boil.