A Very Pretty Thanksgiving: Better Butternut Squash

Posted: November 16, 2009 | Author: Johanna | Filed under: Johanna | 3 Comments »

As we work our way through Thanksgiving favorites, I have to get this one out of the way. I have to get it out of the way, because I want my dad to look at it and decide whether we can make it for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I have to get it out of the way because I need to make clear, once and for all (ok that’s a lie, I’ve made it clear before) that butternut squash is a beautiful thing when not sullied by maple syrup and brown sugar. I have to get this out of the way because I honestly LOVE this dish and it’s the first time that I have a chance to do more than try to mix my butternut squash in with my mashed potato and gravy to try and eat it.

Plus, any dish whose ingredients are Butternut Squash, Heavy Cream, Parmesan, Salt and Pepper….. is a winner in my book.
Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash
Gourmet November 2008 – via Epicurious

1. Peel a butternut squash, and cut it up into bite-sized chunks.
2. Combine the squash chunks with 3/4 cup of heavy cream, salt, and black pepper in a casserole dish or cast-iron skillet, whatever you’ve got with a lid.
3. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
4. Remove the dish from the oven, stir in 1/3 cup of grated parmesan, and sprinkle another 1/3 cup over the top. (I would recommend moving this up a little, maybe 3/4 cup total.)
5. Return to the oven for 20 minutes, with the lid off, until the parmesan gets crusty.

To go with this squash deliciousness, I made sauteed turkey cutlets. I marinated the turkey breast cutlets in lemon zest, 3 grated garlic cloves, parsley, and lemon juice, and sauteed them quickly while the squash was finishing.
This butternut squash is savory, and not too rich. It combined well with the lemony juices from the turkey cutlets, and provided a nice balance to the very very lean turkey breast meat. I think that this would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table, and a great alternative for all of you, like me, who don’t love the confusingly-sweet mashed butternut squash with brown sugar that so often graces our tables. Not to mention, I almost licked the inside of my cast-iron skillet because it’s that delicious.
If you don’t feel like buying a whole squash and cutting it up yourself (and I’m ok with this because squash are scary to cut while raw), you could most definitely use the frozen cubes of butternut squash, defrosted.

Try this one, for a change of side-dish pace. You will NOT be disappointed. I promise!