Roasted Squash with Sage and Hazelnuts in Brown Butter
The additions of sage, hazelnuts and brown butter elevate a tasty side of roasted squash into a truly outstanding dish. It's colourful too, so eminently suitable for the festive table, dinner parties or other celebratory occasions.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Keyword: brown butter, Christmas, hazelnuts, sage, squash
1medium-sized flavoursome squashchopped into bite sized cubes (I used butternut squash)
2tbspextra virgin olive oil
½tspsea salt
good grinding of black pepper
50gwholemeal breadcrumbs(optional)
50gunsalted butter
50ghazelnutsroughly chopped
12fresh sage leavesthinly sliced
1clovegarlicgrated or crushed
Instructions
Heat the oven to 200℃ (400℉, Gas 6).
No need to peel the squash if it's a butternut. The skin is quite thin and will soften on roasting. Just top and tail it, cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Tougher skinned winter squashes will need to be peeled. Chop the flesh into bite sized cubes - about 2-3 cm (one inch).
Place them in a large roasting tray so that they form a single layer.
Drizzle the olive oil over the top, then sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Give a good stir so that the squash cubes are coated with oil.
Roast for twenty minutes. Remove from the oven, give a good stir and place back in the oven. Roast for a further twenty minutes. By this time the squash should be soft and starting to caramelise around the edges.
Remove from the oven, add the breadcrumbs (if using) and toss the cubes to coat. Place back in the oven for a further eight minutes. If not using the breadcrumbs, continue to roast for a further five minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Add the hazelnuts and turn the heat up to medium. Cook for a minute, then add the sage. When the butter is just starting to turn amber and form brown bits at the bottom of the pan, stir in the garlic. Cook for a further thirty seconds to a minute. The butter should be nicely browned, but not burnt.
Transfer the squash onto a serving plate and pour the brown buttered hazelnuts and sage over the top.
Notes
If this dish is part of a large feast, such as Christmas dinner, it will serve eight people rather than six. If it's a main part of the meal, however, it's better suited to four.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.