Roasted winter squash purée

This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes or a starchy side. It's a pretty intuitive dish, simple, and easy to experiment with. Woo hoo! Playing with food! You know I love it. *grins wildly*

This makes the dish an excellent repurposed leftover food. Yes. Waste not want not! I start with a good sized winter squash (thick skinned like an acorn or butternut), and cut into quarters. I brush just a bit of olive oil on it, nothing else (it'll get the love later), to help encourage caramelization.

I roast it at high temp of 425 to really coax out those toasted savory flavors. Once the flesh is soft when pricked with a fork, and the tips are a little toasted, I pull out the squash to cool.

Time to get naked! The squash, that is. Well, you can too. I won't judge. Turn the squash flesh side down in a bowl. This makes the skin super easy to remove.

Next it's time to mash, add a little salt, pepper and butter to taste. Wasn't that easy?


With this base, you can upgrade fresh or from leftovers by adding:

• Cinnamon, brown sugar and cardamom
  
• Goat cheese, parsley and garlic
  
• Ham, caramelized shallots and fresh thyme
  
• Topping of bacon crumbles, crème fraiche, and scallions
  

The list could go on and on....

Enjoy!