Description
Squash with brown butter and sage is savory and luscious and a great side dish for any Fall meal!
Ingredients
4 c of your favorite squash, steamed and baked as above
1/3 c of fresh sage leaves
4 T of butter
2–4 T of chives
3/4 to 1 c chicken broth or heavy cream or a mixture (I used the broth. :()
1 t salt or to taste
some fresh grindings of nutmeg – optional
Various garnishes that appeal to you: Crisp bacon, chives, sage, pomegranate seeds, maple syrup, pumpkin seeds, green onions. toasted walnuts or pecans, or even peanuts, fried onion strings, chipotle chilies, etc.)
Instructions
Steam and bake squash as below. I ended up with 4 cups, so adjust accordingly. It is very hard to make this “wrong.”
Melt butter in skillet over medium high heat. Add sage leaves and try to keep them flat. You may have to flip them, but they will turn brown and crispy as the butter turns brown. Butter will start to sizzle. When it is brown, it will stop. Do not let it burn!Take sage leaves from skillet as they brown. (I could eat these all, sprinkled with a touch of salt.) Turn heat down to medium low.
Scoop squash from skin, place in skillet and mash gently. Now using an immersion blender, puree the squash and browned butter together. Slowly mix in the broth or cream or both. Add salt, sage leaves and chives or whatever flavors you prefer. Mix together until warm.
Garnish with your favorites!
P.S. This is great made ahead and warmed in the microwave. It saves on oven space for Thanksgiving!
Notes
I like to steam my squash in the oven which makes it much easier to mash. Just cut that bad boy straight down vertically, through the center. (Be careful and don’t cut yourself!) Scoop out the seeds. If you want roast the seeds, because all squash seeds can be roasted just like pumpkin seeds. In a large shallow pan, with not even a 1/2 inch of water, turn those halves over with the cut side down. Now stick in the oven at 350 and bake until the squash is of desired doneness. How to tell? Just stick a fork in it! If it is soft, then your squash is done. I did this with a kabocha squash and it took about 45 minutes.