Butternut Squash Stuffed and Roasted with Optional Potato Topping

'Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness'

It's that time of year again, the days are getting shorter, the hens are going to roost earlier and you've got that yen for sitting around the fire and curling up around a hot cocoa, a delicious supper dish and a Gothic novel, preferably by Sheridan Le Fanu. On a stormy night, I'd suggest Wylder's Hand, Uncle Silas or if you're into the more classic vampire stories, which go so well with roast squash, then Carmilla would be a good creepy choice. Make sure you've got your Teddy or someone similar handy for the really scary bits.

I made two versions of this dish, in the first, I stuffed the sections of squash with a mixture of vegetable and spice and the second version I used the scooped out squash flesh and mixed it with mashed potatoes to make a crispy topping.

I used the 'necks' of two really large Butternut squash, sliced into 1" or 2cm thick sections. This way each large squash gave me enough for 4-6 side dish servings. The  recipe can also be made with 5 - 6 small individual round squash, such as Jack be Little.

For the Squash and Optional Potato:

INGREDIENTS

The necks of 2 large Butternut squashes
5-6 medium boiled potatoes (suitable for mashing)
Butter or oil for greasing the cooking tin/pan/tray and for dotting on the squash.
Salt and pepper

METHOD

Slice the neck of the squash into 1" or 2cm sections. If you are using small squash then cut these in half and scoop out the seeds.

Place onto a buttered or oiled tray, dotted with butter or drizzled with oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place into the middle of the oven at a temperature of approx 360 °F or 180 °C for around 30 minutes, when the squash should be soft (a fork should pierce it easily) and the skin crisp and beginning to brown.

Carefully scoop out the interior of the Butternut squash, removing just enough to make a shallow 'nest', approximately ½" or 1cm deep.

The squash flesh can now be added to potato and mashed together by hand with a potato masher.

Tip 

It is better to mash by hand otherwise the mix can become too gluey if done by machine.

Whilst the squash is roasting the stuffing can be prepared.

For the Stuffing:

INGREDIENTS

2 large red bell peppers, sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed

Piment d'Espelette* or if you can not get this then Cayenne is very good in this dish. When using spices I tend to sprinkle and then taste to get the right amount of heat without overpowering the other ingredients.

6 medium to large slices of oven-dried tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Butter or a suitable oil for cooking.

* in France it can be quite difficult to get hot spices but Piment d'Espelette comes from the Pays Basque. The Basque country spans the borders of France and Spain and its cookery is hot, colourful and powerful. One of the most famous dishes which uses this pimento is Piperade. I love this spice and am growing it in our greenhouse, so am looking forward to our first home-grown Espelette.

METHOD

Sauté the garlic and onions together in the butter or oil for a few minutes until they begin to soften and then add the bell peppers and pimento. Continue on a low heat until they have broken down to create a stuffing that is moist but not wet.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the oven dried tomatoes.

TEMPERATURE

Preheat the oven to 220°C or 425°F

METHOD

Add the stuffing to the roasted squash 'nests'. I used two dessert spoons of stuffing per nest.

Top with the mashed potato and squash mix.

Place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes but check after five to make sure that the topping is browning and not burning as this is a hot oven.

If you decide just to keep it simple and less substantial, then just add the stuffing to the squash and return to the oven as set for for roasting (360 °F or 180 °C) and allow just 10 minutes for the flavours to meld together and for the squash to return to its roasted temperature. You can use the spare squash flesh to make soup or vegetarian terrine.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

We eat this for supper or as a side dish to accompany roast meat or fish. For a vegetarian meal, you could provide two servings per person and accompany it with an endive/chicory and orange salad, dressed with sesame or olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with turmeric and paprika.

If you enjoyed this recipe then please feel free to comment and share it with your friends and on social media. Oh and our Espelette are doing fine!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from an old farmhouse in Normandie,

All the very best,
Sue

©  Sue Cross 2019