I was asked to make some kind of squash dish for my nephew’s moving-away-for-school-and-girlfriend dinner. Because my sister was roasting prime rib (was that ever good!), I wanted to take something special. I took a chance on this somewhat-time-consuming recipe, which tasted and looked great.
Winter squash is a favorite vegetable at our house, so I cook it all year, though less often in the summer. The rain today is making me think of butternut squash soup. . . .
I found the hasselback* recipe through Pinterest, on the blog thehealthyfoodie.com. You can find her recipe and beautiful photos through the link (this is per her blog rules). Her Paleo inspiration came from a very similar recipe on the blog Seasons and Suppers. That version uses maple syrup and butter rather than honey and olive oil, and skips the fresh sage. Next time I might combine the recipes because maple is so very good with butternut.
That said, I will note that I made changes. It is SO much easier to deal with hard winter squash if you microwave it for two or three minutes first. (Pierce it a few times so it doesn’t explode, and set it on a paper towel or plate.) This makes it much easier to cut. I decreased the cooking time by a few minutes later in the process to make up for it.
And because I love thyme, I used a full tablespoon rather than the one teaspoon The Healthy Foodie used. I also increased the pecans a bit. Pay attention to her instructions on adding water to the pan; it evaporates quickly at 425 degrees. I found that transferring the cooked squash using two large spatulas worked well.
This would be excellent for fall and winter holidays. Or special occasions year-round!
Serves 6.
*According to babble.com, hasselback potatoes (the original inspiration) were created in Stockholm, Sweden, in the 1700s at a restaurant called Hasselbacken. Here I thought it was because it’s somewhat of a hassle and your diners may get their backs up from waiting for dinner.
Delicious recipe – it was quite good! I like your changes.