I could not find the cassis juice that was called for in this recipe, but the French for black currants is Cassis so I decided to try this. I wanted a thicker sauce so opted for pure black currant jam instead of juice. The original recipe called for pork, but I decided to make a vegetarian version instead.

Belle’s note: This potato gnocchi was delicious, and the blackcurrant-beet butter sauce was a wonderful match to the gnocchi, pearl onions and spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash isn’t one of my favorite squashes, but its slightly crispy texture went so well with the softness of the gnocchi. We had a small amount of leftovers, which were polished off at lunch the next day!

Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Pearl Onions and Spaghetti Squash and Blackcurrant-Beet Butter Sauce
Adapted from Cooking with Canada’s Best

Potato Gnocchi
2 large russet potatoes, quartered
1-2 cups all-purpose flour
Small handful of fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Roasted Pearl Onions
12 pearl onions, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Roasted Spaghetti Squash
1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
1-2 tbsp soft butter
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Black Currant-Beet Butter Sauce
125 ml pure blackcurrant jam
8 oz beets, diced (use canned sliced beets and then dice them)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3-4 sprigs thyme tied together with kitchen twine
1 tbsp butter

Potato Gnocchi

1. Bake the potatoes in a 350 degree F oven until easily punctured with a fork (about 30-45 minutes).
2. Remove the potatoes, peel when cool enough to handle and put through a potato ricer.
3. Combine the potato, flour (start with 1 cup and add more as you mix – some potatoes need more flour then others), thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Add the eggs and mix in gently.
5. Roll out dough into long ropes and cut into 1″ pieces.
6. Boil a pot of salted water, add the gnocchi and boil until they float to the top.
7. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss in the oil.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

1. Rub inside of squash halves with butter and add nutmeg, thyme and salt and pepper.
2. Place squash flesh side down on a baking pan with high sides. Add water to come up 1/2″ along the sides of the squash.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, in the same 350 degree F oven.
4. Scrape the spaghetti squash with a fork to produce long spaghetti like strings. Pace in a bowl and keep warm.

Roasted Pearl Onions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toss the onions quarters with the olive oil
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Roast on a baking pan for about 7 minutes.

Black Currant-Beet Butter Sauce

Mix the blackcurrant jam, beets, cinnamon, thyme and butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until thick and velvety (about 15 minutes).

Assemble

Place a portion of spaghetti squash on a plate, add some roasted pearl onions on top, then add potato gnocchi and pour over with sauce.

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