This is the first time I’ve attempted this recipe and it was a total breeze. AND absolutely delicious. We’ve been recipe testing with butternut the last couple of weeks. We had a number of larger butternut that were earmarked for a Thanksgiving table. We think this gorgeous dish would be fabulous for your festive feast. There are a couple of simple steps that are a must-do for the ease of preparation and a successful outcome. Both are in the instructions below. Hope you enjoy this dish and your guests applaud your artistry.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp each Kosher salt and black pepper
FOR THE SAGE BUTTER
- 3 T salted butter
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T fresh sage leaves, chopped (or more if so desired. I love sage, so we used more like 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped
- 2 T honey or agave
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne – optional
- 5-10 sage leaves
- 5-10 thyme sprigs
FOR THE SPICED PECANS
- Save yourself a step and pick these up at Trader Joe’s. They are absolutely delicious!! About $2.99 / bag
- You’ll need 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans (you can add more if so desired)
Preheat oven to 450°
Using a potato peeler, completely peel butternut squash until the orange flesh appears. On a cutting board, cut the stem and base off and then carefully cut your squash in half lengthwise. I held onto one end with a towel and gently rocked my knife back and forth to safely and evenly cut the squash in half. Once cut, remove seeds and stringy bits. Generously rub olive oil on all sides of cut squash. On a parchment lined baking sheet, cut halves cut side down and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place uncovered in oven for approximately 15 minutes. Remove and let cool enough to touch.
Roast your squash halves for 15 minutes. In the meantime, you can make make your sage butter. In a small sauce pan on medium-low heat, add butter and olive oil. Warm until melted and add sage, thyme, honey, cinnamon and cayenne. Remove from heat, mix well. Set aside until butternut has been hasselbacked.
With a large spatula, move squash from parchment and onto a cutting board. Place chopsticks or butter knives on either side of each squash half. By doing this, it enables you to slice into the squash without going all the way through. By not going all the way through, the squash half stays together as one. Using a sharp knife, create slits 1/4 inch apart on the butternut squash without cutting all the way through. Once all the slices are done on both halves, carefully place butternut (unsliced side down) into large baking dish with a couple of tablespoons of water in the bottom. Drizzle the squash with the sage butter (reserving a couple of teaspoons for garnish), and getting into the crevices. Once drizzled, you can also slip sage leaves and thyme sprigs into some of the squash crevices. Place baking dish with squash, uncovered back into the oven for 45-50 minutes. Periodically checking to see that liquid has not evaporated. If so, add small amounts as needed. When done, butternut should be lightly browned on top. Removed from oven, drizzle with reserved sage butter and garnish with chopped pecans, more sage leaves and thyme.
COOK’S NOTES
- If you prefer a milder seasoning on the butternut, reduce or eliminate the ceyanne and consider a little more sage.
- If you have an extra large butternut you will need more of the sage butter mixture. You can simply double this part of the recipe. You can’t go wrong with the addition of more butter!
- You can make this recipe vegan by substituting the butter for coconut oil or using vegan butter.
- Do not attempt to slice the squash without partially cooking it first. It makes it possible to slice perfectly even.
- When slicing the squash, place two chopsticks or like I did, two bamboo sipping straws on either side of the cooked squash. When slicing, the chopsticks act as a guide and stop you from slicing all the way through the squash.
- Store any leftover hasselback butternut squash in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, set oven on 350 and slowly reheat in covered cast iron pan for approximately 20 minutes.