To make the sweet potato gnocchi, boil the potatoes with their skins on for 20 minutes 1, they should only be cooked on the outside, they will finish cooking in the oven which will dry them to prevent them from releasing water into the dough. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and cut them into slices about 0.5 inch thick 2, remove the skin, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 3. Bake them in a preheated convection oven at 350°F for 30 minutes (or in a static oven at 390°F for 40 minutes).
Once cooking is completed 4, pass the hot potatoes through a potato ricer to reduce them to a puree and add them to the sifted flour on a work surface 5 and add a pinch of salt. At this point, you can work the dough 6, do not work it for long to avoid it becoming sticky.
until you obtain a compact mixture, shape it into a loaf 7 and cover it with a tea towel. Then, with a dough cutter, divide the dough into pieces 8 and create strands 1 inch thick 9, start cutting your gnocchi and place them on a floured surface or tray.
To finish, create the characteristic gnocchi ridges by sliding each gnocchi over the special gnocchi board 10 or a fork, pressing slightly but not too much. Place the gnocchi on a floured tray and prepare the taleggio cream: cut the cheese into slices 11, then place a small saucepan on the heat and melt the butter over low heat, then add the flour 12 to form the roux.
At this point, pour in the hot milk 13 and lastly the pieces of taleggio cheese 14. Melt the cheese until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous sauce 15, salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside the obtained sauce and prepare the seasoning: finely chop the leek 16, peel the radicchio and cut it into very thin strips 17, do the same with the slices of speck 18, taking care to keep 4 whole for the dish garnish.
Soften the chopped leek with olive oil over low heat for at least 10 minutes, if necessary, extend with hot water or vegetable broth to prevent the leek from drying out too much. Add the speck 19, season with fresh thyme leaves 20, and also add the radicchio in strips 21, continue cooking for another 5 minutes, it should remain a bit crunchy.
Take the slices of speck set aside and cut them in half lengthwise 22, then roast the slices in a pan to make them crispy (23-24).
Now cook the gnocchi: place a pot of salted water on the heat and bring it to a boil, drop in the gnocchi 25 and cook them for a few minutes, drain them when they start to float to the surface 26 and pour them directly into the pan with the seasoning, extend with a tablespoon of cooking water 27.
Sauté them for a few moments to flavor them 28. Take the serving plates, pour a spoonful of taleggio cream on the bottom 29, then place a portion of gnocchi on top and garnish with the crispy bacon 30, serve the dish very hot.
