I made this butternut squash gnocchi 4 times…each time testing and tweaking the recipe until I got it just right. The first time I used a combo of squash and potato. It was good but too heavy. I hadn’t squeezed the liquid out of the squash. The next time I did squeeze all the liquid from the squash and they turned out to be too dense and too sweet. So the next time I drained the squash (but only through a sieve without squeezing it through a cheese cloth) and combined it with mashed potato…good, not too sweet, not too dense… but didn’t get enough of the squash taste. Finally I got it just right with the recipe and proportions below.
Ingredients
1 large or two small butternut squash (2 cups pureed) + reserve 1/2 cup for the sauce below if desired.
2 large baking potato – boiled, drained and mashed
1 1/2 cups unbleached white (or your favorite) flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Pinch or two of salt and pepper
3 strips bacon – roasted and crumbled
Instruction
Pierce the squash and the potato with a fork and microwave each about 10 minutes. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and roast in the oven, cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until soft and can easily be removed.
In the meantime, peel and dice the potatoes and cook in boiling water until easily mashed with a fork. drain, mash and season and set aside
Scoop out the squash, mash and squeeze out excess liquid using a cheesecloth or heat the mashed squash in a pan over low heat until excess liquid is evaporated. Add to a large bowl.
Add the potato and add to the squash mixture. Add the parmesan and the flour a bit at a time. Season, mix and knead until it forms a workable dough. Add a bit more flour if too sticky.
On a floured board, and working in small pieces, form a rod aproximately 1/2 inch thick and a foot long. Cut rod into about 1 inch pieces. Make an indentation with your thumb to form a grove in each piece, or make groves with a fork.
Set aside on a baking sheet. Boil what you want until the gnocchi rise to the top and cook for about 2 minutes more. Test one to make sure they’re done. They should be soft without a lingering raw flour taste.
Serve with a sauce of your choice. I made the following:
Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce with Bacon.
Place 4 – 5 strips of bacon on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and cook in a 400 degree over until crunchy. About 10 – 15 minutes.
Place a medium 10 inch skillet over low/medium heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup butter followed by 1/4 cup flour to make a paste. Cook for a few moments. Slowly add 1/2 cup chicken broth, stirring with a whisk constantly to form a creamy sauce. Add more broth a bit at a time if too thick. Whisk in the pureed squash. Stir to incorporate. Add in crumbled bacon (along with a drizzle of the bacon drippings if desired). Season with salt and pepper. Add a bit more broth if needed and a splash of cream if desired.
