Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash
Roasted butternut squash has a sweet caramelized flavor and lovely soft texture that adds something unexpected to salads and sandwiches and panini, in particular.
When selecting a butternut squash for roasting, pick one with a long neck. Our reasons for suggesting this are not entirely aesthetic. Slices from the neck are generally uniform in size. Just as important, there are no seeds in the neck, which means that all you have to do to prep the slices is to skin them. The bottom of the squash, also cut into slices, can be roasted as well, of course. You will have to contend with slices that have hollow middles, which require sending before you can roast them. That said, do not let the size or the configuration of a slice, wherever it has come from on the squash, deter you.
To Roast Butternut Squash Slices
1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing the slices
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin on the squash. Cut the neck off and slice it crosswise into ½ -inch-thick slices. If desired, halve the squash “bowl,” seed and remove the string, and cut it crosswise into slices, too. Place the slices on a baking sheet, brush with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the slices begin to caramelize around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 week.
