Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sausage

Oh.  My.  Gourd.

Fall is here and pumpkin is hot hot hot.  You can’t go anywhere without seeing restaurants advertise it as a starring ingredient.  I’ve seen pumpkin shake, pumpkin mac and cheese, and of course the good ol’ pumpkin latte.  But how can you blame them for taking advantage of the earthy, rich flavor?

In this dish you’ll find that earthiness paired with spicy Italian sausage, tangy Parmesan, and fragrant sage.  It’s so good you might just skip the seasoning because your salty tears of joy will be enough (;

 

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sausage

Serves 4          Time: 60 min

1 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup potato puree

2 cups flour

½ tsp nutmeg

1 egg

4 tbsp butter

10-15 sage leaves

1 lb. mild Italian sausage

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 cups parmesan

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl to form a sticky dough
2. On a floured countertop roll the dough to a ½ or ¼”thickness, depending on how thick you want the gnocchi
3. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1”x1” squares of dough and place them on a cookie sheet
4. Once all the dough has been cut, bring the cookie sheet to a large pot of boiling water and put them in (you might want to do this in batches, but I was fine just throwing them in quickly).
5. While the gnocchi cooks (it should only take about 2-4 minutes), heat a large pan with the butter and sage on low.
6. When the gnocchi raises to the surface of the water, scoop them out and put them in to the pan with the heated butter. Turn the heat to medium and cook them for 5 minutes.
7. Remove cooked gnocchi into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, cook and scramble the sausage on medium heat until no pink is showing.
8. Throw the gnocchi back in and season to your preference. Turn off the heat and coat the top of the dish with cheese. Cover with a lid until the cheese has melted.  Serve immediately.