Sage Brown Butter Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Pan Seared Chicken, and Maple Glazed Cauliflower Steak

When you look at this meal, the common theme is the color, and presumably flavor, that comes as a result of the maillard reaction used in each food. While a good meal is typically comprised of complimentary and sometimes contrasting flavors and textures, the chicken, cauliflower, and pasta each have a unique presentation of that crispy, caramelized cook creating a delicious trio. I did not want to serve a vegetable that cancelled out the goodness of the star of the show, gnocchi. Cauliflower, being the flavorful shapeshifting vegetable that takes on as much depth as you give it, seemed like the perfect choice. The chicken could be seared and baked as is or replaced with a nice cut of steak to be a more literal compliment to the cauliflower "steak". The plate ends up being a great match for a hot summer day when you feel as "fried" as the food you're eating!

Recipe

Ingredients

Pan Seared Chicken

A free range organic chicken breasts

Olive oil

2 Garlic Cloves

Zested and juiced lemon

1/4 cup Honey

Salt

Pepper

Brown Butter Sage Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi

1 lb Sweet potato

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1/4 cup parmesan

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup double zero (00) organic flour

Sauce

1 stick grass-fed butter

2 cloves garlic minced

Bunch of sage leaves

Salt to taste

Sprinkle of nutmeg

Parmesan to top off the pasta

Maple Glazed Cauliflower Steak With Parsley

1 whole cauliflower

2 cloves garlic

Bunch of parsley

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup double zero (00) organic flour

Salt to taste

Olive oil

Directions

Pan Seared Chicken 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pat dry your chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat up about a tablespoon of oil in a "seasoned" cast iron skillet or a non stick pan on high heat.

3. Sear each side until darker in color. Then remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Remove any burnt bits and add a little bit more olive oil to the pan that you cooked the chicken in. Add your minced garlic and simmer until fragrant before adding honey, lemon zest, the juice of half a lemon, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium heat. Simmer this mixture while mixing with a whisk. Eventually the mixture will become much more thick all of a sudden because of the sugar in the honey. Keep whisking until you have a smooth and thick consistency.

5. Line a sheet tray with tin foil, and put your pan seared chicken on top. Before you finish cooking the chicken in the oven, you'll brush the glaze on the top and sides of each chicken breast. Then put it in the oven and let it finish cooking for 20-25 minutes. Once it's cooked through, let it cool for about ten minutes and then slice to serve next to the gnocchi and cauliflower.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1. Start by baking your sweet potato for about an hour at 400 degrees or microwaving for about five minutes. You want it to be easily pierced by a fork. Peel the potato once it has cooled and mash with a fork until it is smooth.

2. Add the flour, sweet potato, ricotta, and parmesan to a bowl and mix until well combined. The mixture might be sticky, and that is okay. Next, you want to flour the clean counter top surface and roll the dough on top of it. Knead the dough on the floured surface for a couple minutes or until it is less sticky and more pliable.

3. Put a pot of water up to boil and salt it well. Section the dough out into about eight pieces and begin rolling each one out into long logs. The thickness will determine the size of your gnocchi. Once each piece is about half an inch wide, you can start cutting your gnocchi with a knife. Put all the finished pieces on a floured plate or sheet pan. When they are all cut out, you can use a fork to create classic gnocchi lines, or leave it as is. The lines don't make much of a difference since you will sauté and brown them anyway.

4. Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi to the pot and boil them until the all rise to the surface. Drain, coat in a little oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.

5. Now, heat up a stick of butter in a pan on medium heat and cook up your garlic and your sage. Move the garlic and sage around to prevent burning, and saute a little before adding the gnocchi. You want to cook the gnocchi until each side gets browned and slightly crispy.

6. Once it's done cooking, you can top it off with parmesan.

Garlic Maple Cauliflower Steaks

1. Slice your head of cauliflower into thick pieces down the center, keeping the root piece intact. Season each slice with salt and pepper. Then coat each side well in flour. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium high heat, and lightly brown the cauliflower on each side. You can press the piece to the pan gently to make sure that you get an even cook. Once that cook is achieved, remove the the cauliflower and set it aside.

2. Now add about a tablespoon of oil into the same pan and cook your garlic. Add the maple syrup and whisk to emulsify. It will get thicker as you cook it just like the glaze you made for the chicken. Season with salt and once the mixture reduces, you can add in your cauliflower pieces in batches and coat each side evenly. When all the pieces are coated, top with the chopped up parsley. The parsley is a must! There is something about the flavor combination that is so good.