Despite weather alerts, day number three hundred sixty-five was beautiful here in Ottawa. With sun pouring in through the windows and some low, slow jazz lingering in the air I set out to cook one last meal in 2018.

I just love the colors in this dish, they are vibrant, inviting, and promise of nourishment. I also really appreciate that this recipe is quick enough to be a weeknight supper. The genius trick is to cook the sweet potato in the microwave (I’ve never done this before) which only takes a few minutes.

The recipe comes from Food 52, my fav website, serves 6, takes 30m to prep and 10m to cook. As per the author’s notes I served mine with some blanched and sautéed broccoli rabe (rampini), in a quick brown butter sage sauce.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1/2 tsp salt

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork, wrap in a damp paper towel, and microwave until soft (about 7 minutes).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop out the flesh of the potato and add it to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, and salt and mix until smooth. Add the flour, a little at a time, stirring and then kneading until the dough just comes together—don't overwork the dough as you want it stay light.

Once the dough comes together, divide it into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 1" in diameter. (Dust with more flour as needed to keep it from sticking.) Using a sharp knife, cut the rope into 1" pieces and transfer the pieces onto the parchment-lined sheet.

At this point, you can either freeze the gnocchi to make later (this is such a good idea for weeknight dinners!) or cook them right away. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for about 2-5 minutes, or until they're tender and they float to the surface of the water. Transfer the gnocchi carefully (they're very delicate and can fall apart easily) to the parchment-lined sheet again.

Serve hot with more Parmesan and some cracked pepper and butter. Or, toss with a simple garlic sage brown butter sauce (melt butter until it smells nutty, add some sage and minced garlic and cook briefly) and sautéed greens or broccoli rabe and cheese.