First, start caramelizing the shallots. Heat the olive oil and shallots in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the sugar after 5 minutes and stir to coat. Lower the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to keep the shallots from burning to the bottom of the pan. They are done when they have turned golden. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now start making the gnocchi. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Puncture the potatoes in several places with a fork. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with salt and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before handling. The skins should easily peel off. Remove and discard the skins. Grate or rice the potatoes over a large bowl with the large hole setting of a grater. Mix together with your hands until the grated bits stick together.

Turn the potato mixture out onto a flat well-floured surface and make a little well in the middle. Add the egg yolks, parmesan, asiago, dried sage, salt, and pepper to the well and fold the potato mixture over it. Continue folding the mixture until everything has been incorporated and the dough has smoothed out. Now begin to add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue folding the dough onto itself. Be careful not to over work the dough, only fold until it is just incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the flour is added, test the texture by grabbing a piece of dough and rolling it out on a well-floured surface until it is a 1/2 inch thick rope. It should be soft, and almost like mashed potatoes when you poke it, but firm enough that it holds itself together. If it keeps falling apart, add a little more flour, but only until it just holds together. You do not want to add to much flour. Cut the gnocchi into 1/2 inch thick rounds and then take a fork to the top of each round and gently press down horizontally to leave an imprint. Very lightly dust them with flour as you make them and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ridged side up. Please note that the dough will be sticky and that you should use a dough scraper to continually scrape off any dough that has become stuck to the work surface. Keep your hands floured while you work with the dough as well, but be careful not to incorporate too much flour as you don't want to ruin the flavor of the potatoes. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the gnocchi begin to turn gold at the corners.

While the gnocchi is baking, prepare the asparagus. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add the asparagus, sage, and salt and sauté until bright green but still crunchy, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Toss together the gnocchi, caramelized shallots, and asparagus (including the pan drippings). Sprinkle with the desired amount of parmesan and serve.