Holiday Favorites : Decadent Sugar & Thyme Roasted Acorn Squash

 

Big beautiful mounds of squash are all over the market place. Sitting a few places from the potatoes, these delightful creatures don't always receive the attention they must covet and rightfully deserve.

After all, beneath their hard cold exteriors, hidden by a labyrinth of seeds & membranes is succulent  & sweet flesh. When cooked right it does an excellent job enhancing a slab of steak or perfectly cooked pork chop.

And like most root vegetables what better way to bring forth their inherent sweetness than roasting. And if we stopped right there it would be good enough but once applied with a generous smear of butter, brown sugar, thyme and spices, this beautiful mound of squash is no longer just a mound of squash but turns into an entirely different decadent offering.

 

Now of all the squash in all the world, Acorn here is my absolute favorite. For one, there is that aesthetic quality to its shape. The architect in me seeks that sort of thing and secondly, I find it more delicate in flavor than its bulbous cousin the butternut.

I also enjoy the fact that that it's a leave-me-alone sort  of vegetable which suits perfectly, since it likes nothing more than to do its thing on its own in a hot oven.

 

To begin with, cut off top & bottom. Halve and scoop away seeds and membranes. Discard these. Cut the acorn into wedges, using the Nature offered guidelines as cue (natural ridges on the acorn, darlings!)

Cook's Note - Watch those hands with that Chef knife. Their exteriors are hard and you'll hurt yourself if you're not careful.

Preheat oven at 375 deg F

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Place the wedges on the tray and place in the oven for about 45 minutes till soft and brown on the edges.

 Pierce with a knife to test doneness.

 

 

 Meanwhile,

 

In a bowl, add 1/4 cup softened butter, 1-1/2 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 tbs crushed thyme leaves, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon & 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.

Using a butter knife, smear the butter all over the baked squash wedges. Apply on top & sides.

Return to the oven for another 20 minutes so a lovely glaze forms all over the squash.

 

 

 

 

 Once you take these out of the oven, this is what you get-

 
Serve warm as a side. These are just so delicious, succulent and sweet. Just lovely.

I usually make 1 large squash for the 4 of us and have no problem with the kid's gobbling these up either. This is especially good with red meat.

I hope you'll give these a try!