Roasted Winter Squash with Vanilla Bean Brown Butter

I absolutely love how fragrant the butter turned out and when mixed with sweet winter squash and earthy sage. This side dish is a total home run. Have fun here and feel free to roast some parsnips or sweet potatoes with your winter squash. This is a great recipe to whip up to accompany grilled steaks or roasted chicken. It's even delicious in the morning for breakfast with a little granola sprinkled on top. I'm definitely going to start browning my butter with a vanilla bean pod more often. The flavor is deep, rich and delicious!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 of a vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 medium-sized delicata squash, seeded and sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
• 1 medium-sized acorn squash, seeded and sliced into 1/2" thick wedges
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• drizzle of maple syrup (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven 425F.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat combine the butter, vanilla seeds, and pod and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is deeply browned and has a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod.

On a rimmed baking sheet drizzle the squash with the browned butter and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Toss well and roast in the oven until the squash is lightly browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Toss the squash halfway through cooking.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for about 1 minute per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

In a small, dry skillet over medium heat add the walnuts and toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Shake the pan often, and once they're cool enough to handle finely chop the walnuts.

Serve the squash with the fried sage and toasted walnuts, and drizzle with a touch of maple syrup, if desired.

Notes

*You can use any variety of winter squash such as butternut, kabocha, red kuri, or pumpkin
*Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary
*Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine