Fried Sage Leaves

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Why, oh, why was I so slow to discover these wonderful things? I have a lot of sage in the garden and it goes to waste. No more!

On a recent, wet, cold evening, I ventured into something new: sweet potato gnocchi. And I topped them with a light, white, creamy sauce and fried sage leaves. These are super simple to make, can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container--which I will be doing to use my garden sage before it is covered with snow.

So easy:

Wash and dry sage leaves. I put them in my lettuce spinner then placed on paper towels.

Heat several tablespoons of oil to medium-high heat. Drop in the sage leaves one at a time, only a few at a time. Cook them for only about 30 seconds, until the color just begins to change on them.

Remove with a slotted utensil and drain on paper towels. Salt and enjoy! These would be a perfect addition to any pork dish or the Thanksgiving turkey. I used a handful on the gnocchi but ate the rest as a snack!