I am not sure how my brother got away with it. I never saw him in the act, but he did it time and time again. At the dinner table with the whole family sitting around the table he ingeniously hid his butternut squash under a layer of mashed potatoes. My mother didn’t care if he didn’t eat his mashed potatoes but he would still be sitting at that table if he hadn’t eaten his butternut squash.  I found out because I did the dishes but I kept his secret. 

 I love butternut squash. This year I had a volunteer butternut plant come up in my vegetable garden. It took awhile to figure out what it was going to be and as the vine grew over the tomato plants and took over the garden, I was thrilled to see the squash starting to form. I ended up with 6 huge squash and they were delicious—lucky me!

A great way to serve it is to just cut it in half lengthwise and then cut each half again so it will fit in a baking dish.  Scoop out the seeds and roast it for about an hour at 375°. Pierce it with a fork to make sure it is cooked through. When it is cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a large bowl and mash the flesh until it is smooth. While the squash is still warm add about 6 tablespoons of butter (or to taste) and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until the butter is melted and serve. Many people rave over how delicious this dish is and I think that is because very few ingredients let the butternut squash shine—it is just that good. 

 Another favorite ways to cook this squash is to roast it in wedges. This recipe has a few more ingredients but is still easy and the wow factor is up there too.  By the way, don’t leave the skin behind on your plate. It is delicious too because it also has been roasted with the herbs, spices and olive oil. 

Preheat oven to 400°

 Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. 

 I like to use the bulb part for this dish because it is prettier when it is roasted in wedges with the curl on one edge. Wash and dry the squash. Lay it on its side and cut it in half. You will now have the neck as one piece and the bulb as the other. Set aside the top half (the neck or blossom part for later). Now cut the bulb in half (from top to bottom) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, do not skin the squash.  Sit the bulb on its bottom, holding one side carefully slice down to the end of the squash forming wedges of even thickness (about ¼-½”). See photos. Set aside. 

In a mortar and pestle add:

• 2 medium cloves of garlic

• Seeds from 6 cardamom pods 

• 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon of marjoram

• ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger 

Mash into a paste and then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to combine. Dip your fingers in the garlic mixture and rub the wedges with the mixture covering it on all sides. Place it on the parchment paper. Repeat with all the slices of squash. If there is any of the mixture left over, pour it over the wedges. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the squash is soft when pierced with a fork.  Serve warm.

A great way to serve it is to just cut it in half lengthwise and then cut each half again so it will fit in a baking dish. Scoop out the seeds and roast it for about an hour at 375°. Pierce it with a fork to make sure it is cooked through. When it is cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a large bowl and mash the flesh until it is smooth. While the squash is still warm add about 6 tablespoons of butter (or to taste) and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until the butter is melted and serve. Many people rave over how delicious this dish is and I think that is because very few ingredients let the butternut squash shine—it is just that good.

Another favorite ways to cook this squash is to roast it in wedges. This recipe has a few more ingredients but is still easy and the wow factor is up there too. By the way, don’t leave the skin behind on your plate. It is delicious too as it also has been roasted with the herbs, spices and olive oil.

Preheat oven to 400°

 Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. 

 I like to use the bulb part for this dish because it is prettier when it is roasted in wedges with the curl on one edge. Wash and dry the squash. Lay it on its side and cut it in half. You will now have the neck as one piece and the bulb as the other. .  Set aside the top half (the neck or blossom part for later). Now cut the bulb in half (from top to bottom) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, do not skin the squash.  Sit the bulb on its bottom, holding one side carefully slice down to the end of the squash forming wedges of even thickness (about ¼-½”). See photos. Set aside. 

 In a mortar and pestle add: 

• 2 medium cloves or garlic

• Seeds from 6 cardamom pods 

• 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon of marjoram

• ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger 

Mash into a paste and then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to combine. Dip you fingers in the garlic mixture and rub the wedges with the mixture covering it on all sides. Place it on the parchment paper. Repeat with all the slices of squash. If there is any of the mixture left over, pour it over the wedges. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the squash is soft when pierced with a fork.  Serve warm.