Butternut squash and Yam Gnocchi

Directions

1. Gnocchi
2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Scrub and pat dry the sweet potato.
3. Brush the cut surface of the butternut squash with olive oil. Place the sweet potato & squash onto a baking sheet with the and bake for about 25 minutes till the tuber is done.
4. Remove the sweet potato and bake the butternut squash for about 20 more minutes until the surface appears blistered and a knife completely slips through the flesh.
5. Allow to cool completely before scraping the flesh of the squash and peeling the sweet potato. Add the roasted vegetables into a food processor along with the Ginger extract, salt and nutmeg.
6. Keeping the appliance running at a low speed, add the cornstarch and AP flour mixture (you will need only about 3/4th of a cup, too much flour and the pasta will turn chewy & tough) until the mixture just begins to come together into a ball of dough. Drop the dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Divide into quarters. Leaving one piece on the floured surface, wrap the other three pieces in a Saran wrap until ready to use.
7. Roll the piece of dough gently into a long rope of about 12 inches long. Using a dough scraper, cut the rope into 1 inch pillows. You may either leave the pasta as is or using the back of a folk, gently slide along the tines to create the grooves. I used a gnocchi press that tended to elongate the pillows. The final pasta resembled baby carrots! Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the pasta on a floured plate and allow to dry for about 1/2 hr while you bring a large pot of water to boil, and prepare the sauce.

1. Sauce
2. Heat one tablespoon of butter in a skillet (one of the few times when I would prefer a non stick skillet). Gently fry the Sage leaves on low heat, until they turn crisp. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add about a tablespoon of the flour mixture to the butter and toast the flour until it turns a golden brown.
3. Stir the seasonings into the 'roue' and whisk in the milk. Whisk well to avoid any lumps and allow the sauce to thicken. Transfer to a container, covering the surface with Saran wrap to prevent a skin from forming. rinse and dry the skillet. Place back on the stove and add the remaining butter.
4. Lower the heat to bring the water bubbling for the gnocchi down to a simmer and add the gnocchi (about 12 at a time) when the pasta begins to bob up after initially sinking to the bottom of the pan, allow to cook for about 1/2 a minute.
5. Remove the pasta with a spider skimmer gently agitate to shake of any excess water and add the gnocchi to the sizzling butter in the non stick skillet. Shake the pan to coat the gnocchi with the butter and gently toss till the pasta just begins to develop brown spots.
6. Transfer the pasta to a serving plate, and gently spoon the required amount of the sauce. Garnish with the sage leaves and serve warm, with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled over if you prefer.