Pairing: Sweet potato gnocchi with bacon and cream flatters Bordeaux blend

Our Wine of the Week, St. Supéry 2014 Elu Napa Valley Bordeaux Red Blend ($75) is a dignified, graceful wine, with the sort of flawless structure you would find in a well-tailored suit, something Cary Grant might have worn in a 1940s romantic comedy. It is a grown-up wine but it doesn't take itself too seriously, which is to say it is neither ponderous nor pompous. It is light on its feet, yet with a restrained depth of character.

Pretty aromas of violets, plums warmed by the sun and suggestions of freshly brewed coffee tease the senses as you lift a glass to your mouth. A first sip suggests black currants, black raspberries, blackberries and lightly toasted whole wheat bread.

On the palate, the wine is lush and sensual, with long tannins that linger luxuriously until you just can't resist another sip.

At the table, the wine is a great choice with the obvious partners. Red meat including beef, venison, bison and lamb, are sure-bet companions and when you add condiments that include black olives, bacon or Dijon mustard, the match soars. The wine is also excellent with halibut, preferably topped with black olive butter. Roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes with bacon vinaigrette and roasted cauliflower with browned butter all flatter the wine.

Today's recipe is inspired by the weather, by low clouds and rain and the sort of chill in the air that makes spending time in the kitchen such an engaging activity, especially when you enjoy a glass of this lovely wine as you prepare the gnocchi.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Cream

Makes 3 to 4 servings as a main course

1 pound sweet potatoes, baked until tender

1 pound russet potatoes, baked until tender

1½ cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

- Whole nutmeg, grated

- 6 to 8 slices of bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 small shallot, minced

¾ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

3 ounces (¾ cup) Vella Dry Jack, Estero Gold or similar cheese, grated

While the potatoes are still quite warm, break each one in half and pass through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl. Discard skins.

Add half the flour and season generously with salt, several turns of black pepper and a generous grating of nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and keep adding more flour until the dough is soft and smooth but just a tad sticky. Set aside, covered, and let rest.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a heavy sauté pan until it is crisp; drain it on absorbent paper. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat, return to medium-low heat, add the butter and, when it is melted, sauté the shallot until it is soft and fragrant, about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cream, add several turns of black pepper and a light grating of nutmeg and remove from the heat.

Fill a large pot half full with water, add a tablespoon or two of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Set a heat-proof platter in the oven.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with some of the remaining flour. Roll the dough into ropes about as thick as your thumb and cut each rope into 3/4-inch lengths.

Next, mark the gnocchi: Hold a dinner fork sideways, with the tines parallel to the work surface below. With your other hand, pick up a piece of dough and use your thumb to quickly press it into the tines; let it fall to the work surface. Continue until all gnocchi have been marked. (Don't worry if this seems awkward at first; the goal is for each gnocchi to be marked on one side with the tines of the fork and on the other side with your thumb, so that there is a slight indentation.)

To cook the gnocchi, drop about 2 dozen into the boiling water and watch until they rise to the top. Cook for 15 seconds more and then lift out with a slotted spoon, shaking off excess water; transfer to the platter in the oven. Continue until all gnocchi are cooked.

Working quickly, return the sauté pan to medium heat, add the parsley and about half the cheese, stir and heat through. Taste and correct for salt. Chop or crumble the drained bacon.

Pour the sauce over the gnocchi, toss quickly and divide among individual soup plates. Top with the crumbled bacon and the remaining cheese and enjoy right away.

Email Michele Anna Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com.