To prepare the filling, roast the potato by piercing it with a fork in a few places, placing it on a small baking sheet, and baking it in a 400° F oven for 45 to 60 minutes (until it's tender when pierced with a fork). Alternatively, if you are short on time, you could peel and dice the potato and boil it to make mashed sweet potatoes (don't forget to drain the water). Either way, you either discard the peel or use it for another dish (although I am not sure what, LOL). Mix the mashed sweet potato filling with 2 teaspoons of butter and salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

Wrap the dough ball along with a little pat of flour on the top and bottom in a piece of plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes. I like to skip steps in recipes when it's not necessary, but as I've learned from experience, the sitting of the dough is necessary in this recipe!

Set up your pasta maker and divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Start cranking the first piece through the machine on the thickness setting (keep the other pieces wrapped in the plastic wrap so they don't dry out). Fold the dough over and keep running it through the first setting until it looks like a nice big rectangle (or so). If the dough is sticking to the counter or your hands, pat both sides with a little flour. If it's crumbling, add just a touch of water. Keep running the piece through the machine as you gradually decrease the thickness setting. I usually give it a little pat of flour on both sides each time I change the setting. I don't run ravioli dough all the way through the thinnest setting. I stop at the second to last setting so it doesn't break too easily once the filling is added.

Once the dough has been thinned out enough, lay it flat on a lightly floured counter (don't forget the flour here or you'll be sorry!). Cut it in half and add little dollops of filling across one of the two pasta sheets. Dip your finger in a little bowl of water and trace a square around each spot with filling. Carefully lay the other sheet of pasta over top and gently push it down with your (dry) fingers around the filling. Use a handheld ravioli wheel (and a table knife to help if necessary) to cut and seal each piece. We own this ravioli wheel, which works fine but doesn't always do the best cutting job, hence the need for a knife. This one looks like a better choice (minus the sharp blade for kids), but I have not tried it personally. Place on a floured plate and divide layers with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can make half moon raviolis with little handheld dough presses. That's fun to do too!

To cook the ravioli, boil in water for approximately 4 minutes (fresh pasta doesn't take as long as the packaged stuff)!

To make the sauce, cut the fresh sage leaves into little strips and then melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the sage leaves. This part doesn't take long, so don't walk away! Stir the sage leaves in the butter until it begins to brown, about a minute or so. As soon as the butter browns and the leaves are crispy, take it off the heat, pour it over the ravioli, garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired, and serve. Yum!