Mac in Birmingham Magazine: Smart living, savvy business

Mac made Birmingham Magazine with his Sweet Potato Gnocchi!

(btw ladies.....he's taken :)

Standard Bistro’s Mac Russell prepares a tasty and simple gnocchi.

By Jan Walsh Photos by Miller Mobley

A new addition to the Standard Bistro menu is Executive Chef Mac Russell’s Fudge Family Pork Mania. The Sweet Potato gnocchi side for this dish is one that can easily be matched with any other proteins yet goes especially well with chicken.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• 2 Idaho potatoes
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling out gnocchi)
• 2 tablespoons herb salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Fresh herbs like sage, savory and/or marjoram
• 1/2 cup fried chestnuts or roasted hazelnuts for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley and fresh sage leaves

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the sweet potatoes until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Boil the Idaho potatoes until a knife pierces them easily.

After all of the potatoes have cooled, work them through a food mill or potato ricer. In a bowl, combine all the potatoes, by mixer or by hand, with the eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix only enough to incorporate all of the ingredients. Test by taking a small portion of the dough with floured hands, form into a ball and blanch in boiling salted water. When it floats, remove, taste and adjust seasoning.

Shape the gnocchi into one-inch ropes, then cut into oneinch squares. Mark with the back of a fork. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add all herbs except parsley.

Boil shaped gnocchi until they float. Add gnocchi to pan.

Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the gnocchi is slightly golden on that one side. Add nuts and finish with fresh chopped flat leafed parsley.