Maple Roasted Root Vegetable Gnocchi

Team: Rock Chop

Host School: Coventry Village School

Age Group: Middle School

Ingredients

Ingredients for Gnocchi:

4 potatoes

4 cups flour

2 eggs

2 tsp sea salt

Ingredients for Vegetable Sauce:

3 beets

1 celeriac
4 carrots
2 sweet potatoes
1 red onion

3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup butter

1 lemon for zest

½ cup chèvre or other goat cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation Instructions

Directions for Gnocchi:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel potatoes and add to pot. Cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and mash with a potato masher.
  2. In a small bowl beat eggs with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of mashed potato with the flour and eggs.  Knead until dough forms a ball.  Shape small portions of the dough into ½ inch thick "snakes" on a floured surface.  Cut snakes into half-inch gnocchi pieces.
  4. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; remove floating gnocchi from water with a slotted spoon. 

 

Directions for Vegetables:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Peel and chop all root vegetables into ½ inch to 1 inch pieces.   Chop the onion into wedges, mince garlic, and finely chop rosemary and thyme.
  3. Put all of the root vegetables, besides onion, into a bowl and add olive oil, maple syrup, and most of rosemary and thyme.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.  Transfer the vegetables to a baking pan and roast for 10-12 minutes. 
  4. Toss the onion in more oil, maple, salt and pepper.  Add the onions to the root veggies pan after they have roasted for 10-12 minutes.  Put the pan back in the oven and roast everything until it is starting to turn soft and beautifully golden about (15 min).
  5. Once the vegetables are almost done add 4 tbsp of butter to a skillet along with remaining chopped rosemary, thyme, and garlic.  Add roasted vegetables and cooked gnocchi to the pan.  Stir to coat in butter and warm for a few minutes, adding lemon zest. 
  6. Top with goat cheese and plate with extra lemon zest.