Maple Dijon Hasselback Butternut Squash

Celebrate the beauty, seasonality and deliciousness of butternut squash by making this unique, fun recipe. Hasselback Butternut Squash is both fabulous in taste and a total show-stopper in presentation. The flavors of maple syrup and Dijon marry together in a herb-y glaze that undeniably compliments the roasted shingles of this slightly sweet orange-hued beauty. This is a side dish that will shine served next to a baked ham or roasted turkey. But, it's, also, enjoyable as a main dish served with a salad for a simple fall or winter dinner.

I am not going to lie to you, however. Preparation here is a bit of a time and effort investment, but is definitely worth it.

First the squash will need cut in half lengthwise. Then, you'll need to scoop out the pulp and seeds. Next, the two halves will need peeled.

Peeling a butternut squash is not the easiest task in the world. But, it is totally doable and totally worth the effort. It took me about ten minutes to peel mine. It pays to be sure to have sharp blades on your peeler. {I tried two different ones that I had. One was newer and so much easier to use.}

Following the peeling, the two halves will need to be popped into the oven for about twenty minutes just to start to soften the flesh so that it is easy to slice through. Please do not attempt to make your tiny cuts {shingles} while the squash is completely raw. Very risky and almost impossible.

After slicing, you'll be brushing on a glaze a few different times before and during the roasting process. And, at the end, you'll top the squash with chopped pecans just before hiking the oven temp up to give everything one last blast of really high heat.

Note that if your squash is super large {like mine}, you should be able to get four-to-six servings out of it so long as you're serving it as a side dish and not a main dish. If your squash is petite, you're probably looking at two-to-four servings.

Fall-Inspired Harvest Salad Bowl

We tend to think of salads as summer fare. But, when the right combination of ingredients come together, salads can be hearty, comforting dishes that fit right in during the cooler months, too.

Perfectly roasted squash shines in this salad. And, I've brought together a blend of bulgur and red quinoa for a great textural element here. Crisp apple slices and several other amazing add-ins make this one over-the-top salad. Of course, some sliced, grilled chicken would be fabulous in this salad if you're so inclined.

Serves 4.

Sweet Roasted Acorn Squash

 

I was home alone.  The kids were at school.

I kept walking past the two beautiful acorn squash (or is it squashes ... wait - that looks weird ... pretty sure it's squash) that were hanging out on my counter.

When I bought them the other day, I didn't have any specific plans for them.  They just looked so splendid sitting there at the grocery store and they called out to me to bring them home.  I responded by having the kids put them in the cart.

Not knowing if the kids would even eat them, I decided to cut one up and make it for myself for lunch while they were away.  (Moms need to eat, too!)

Sunny Anderson and The Pioneer Woman both have some tasty-sounding recipes for these green and orange beauties.  So, I prepared mine using a combination of the two recipes.

Once baked, the squash can be served as-is ... a cute little acorn squash "bowl" that begs for you to eat it by the spoonful as you scrap the flesh off of the skin while scooping up some of the buttery, sugary basting liquid.  (I think that was a major run-on right there, huh?)  Your other option is to scoop out all of the flesh (with the liquid) into a bowl or casserole dish, mash it all up like you would mashed potatoes and serve it that way.  (That route can, also, be done in advance and the squash reheated when ready to serve.)

For me, personally, I like individual things.  I like my own squash half and the experience of scraping the insides out by myself by the spoonful ... bite-after-lovely-bite.  But, you're a big kid.  Do what ya want!  I promise it'll be wonderful either way!

Most recipes call for two whole acorn squash and serve 4 people.  I cut the recipe in half since I only was making one squash.  The recipe below is written using 2 squash, however.  If you're only using one squash, you'll need to halve the recipe below.