Roasted Acorn Squash Slices with Maple Brown Butter Sauce
These roasted acorn squash slices are drizzled with a brown butter, maple syrup and vinegar sauce for a side dish that will leave you swooning. The squash is caramelized and tender while the sauce is nutty, slightly sweet and bright. It’s a match made in heaven. Measure out the vinegar before starting the brown butter, as the butter can go from browned to blackened quickly. Aleppo pepper adds a kick of spice, but it’s optional.
Servings: 4 -6 people
Ingredients
- 1 large acorn squash (1 ½-2 pounds), scrubbed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
For serving
- Finely chopped parsley (optional)
- Finely chopped hazelnuts, pecans or pistachios, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the acorn squash in half vertically. Scrape out and discard the seeds. Slice each squash half horizontally into 1-inch half moons. Transfer the slices to a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the Aleppo pepper, if using.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Keep cooking, swirling the pan often, until the milk solids are golden brown and the butter smells irresistibly nutty. Immediately add the white wine vinegar. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the maple syrup.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the browned butter sauce over the squash (reserve the rest of the sauce in the skillet for later). Toss to coat. Arrange the squash in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the squash is caramelized and tender (a knife should slide through without resistance), about 30 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through.
- Transfer the squash slices to a serving platter. Reheat the reserved sauce until warm then drizzle it over the squash. If you’d like, sprinkle with chopped parsley and nuts. Serve warm.
Notes
Do Ahead: The roasted squash slices and brown butter sauce can be made several hours in advance. Store them separately at room temperature. Before serving, reheat the squash in a 400 degree oven until warmed through and reheat the sauce on the stovetop.
Tips:
- This recipe also works with other winter squash varieties, such as butternut, buttercup or delicata (if using delicata squash, check the slices early, as they cook faster).
- A sharp chef’s knife is your best tool for handling winter squash (I’m partial to my Wustof knives, but any sharp knife will do the trick!).
- A grapefruit spoon works great for scraping out winter squash seeds.
- Parchment paper not only prevents the squash from sticking, but it also makes clean-up a breeze (I love these pre-cut sheets, which I store on the top of my fridge!).
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