A rich and hearty side dish, perfect for winter or anytime. Roasted butternut squash with a delicious sauce of brown sugar, butter, spices and pecans, highlighted with a double shot of dark rum. An instant family favorite.
Estimated Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings 8Servings
Here's What You Need
2butternut squash - About 8 cups of cubed butternut squash
pinchkosher salt
Double Shot Sauce
½cupdark brown sugar
¼teaspoonkosher salt
½cupButter
2teaspoonsapple cider vinegar
2ouncesdark rum
¼teaspoonThyme
¼teaspoonground allspice
½ cuppecan halves
2wholecloves
Here's What You Do
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Butter the inside of an oven safe baking dish.
Peel and cube the butternut squash, place in the backing dish with a pinch of salt; mix well to distribute salt.
Place the butternut squash in the preheated oven and roast for 40 minutes.
While the squash roasts mix the ingredients for the sauce:
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add brown sugar and stir until desolved.
Add salt, thyme and allspice; mix well
Stir in the apple cider vinegar and rum.
Add the pecans and the whole cloves, continue to stir.
Bring to a low boil and cook about 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Set aside until butternut squash is ready.
After the butternut squash has roasted for 40 minutes, remove the it from the oven. Mix well.
Check for tenderness by probing with a toothpick. If the squash is still hard, place back in the oven and check again in about 10 minutes. When the butternut squash is beginning to get tender, go on to the next step:
Pour the sauce over the butternut squash and mix well
Return to the oven for 10 to 20 minutes until the butternut squash is soft when probed with a toothpick.
Remove for the oven and mix well.
Notes
The butternut squash is ready when it is tender, regardless of how much time it has been in the oven. Use a tooth pick to probe the squash after about 40 minutes, just put it back in the oven if its still tough.This butternut squash will go very well with many things-try it with roasted chicken or turkey, or a nice pork loin or pork or beef tenderloin. Versatile, nutritious, warming, and rich with a little kick.Besides tasting great, Butternut Squash is pretty nutritious as well. It's a source for potassium and other important nutrients and a great source of fiber. It benefits your hair and skin, digestion and blood pressure. Here’s a short article on the nutritional benefits of Butternut Squash. You can also learn a little more about Butternut Squash and other winter squash varieties by reading my Lagniappe article Get to Know your Butternut Squash.