Butternut Squash and Fried Sage Casserole @LucyBurdette #Thanksgiving

 

LUCY BURDETTE: This is an easy vegetables side dish that would make a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving spread without too much agony. Let’s face it, if you’re making a big dinner, juggling turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and who knows what else, the last thing you need is to add a complicated vegetable. John had a nice crop of butternut squash in the garden this summer, and our sage bush is out of control. The recipe became obvious!

Ingredients

One large butternut squash

4 ounces unsalted butter.

Real maple syrup.

8 to 10 fresh sage leaves.

Cut the squash in half length wise and scoop out the seeds and webbing. Paint the cut side with either melted butter, or olive oil and place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake at 350 until soft, 45 minutes to an hour. An easy way to test for the squash’s doneness is poking it with a metal skewer.

Remove the squash from the oven and let them cool enough to handle. Scrape the flash into a bowl and mash with melted butter, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. You could also add a dash of cayenne, if your audience will allow that. You could make this ahead and then reheat closer to dinner.

Meanwhile, melt several tablespoons of butter in a small pan and sauté the fresh sage until it’s beginning to crisp. Decorate the top of the squash casserole with crumbled, sage, and a little more butter.

I'm grateful for many things, but one of them is you--the readers and cooks at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. If you’re all caught up, try Lucy’s first women’s fiction title, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS.

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