86 The Yams…Candied Butternut Squash.

Candied Yams are a classic Thanksgiving side-dish. Both yams and sweet potatoes are great, especially if you take the time to actually bake your yams/sweet potatoes instead of using the ones in the can. That alone can really elevate the flavors and textures. However, let’s take it up another step and use Roasted Butternut Squash to really make this side-dish stand out.  There is no going back, if you make the switch. 

This is a simple project and you can roast your Butternut Squash the day before, cool it, store it in the fridge, and then assemble and bake on Thanksgiving. This can free up your oven for other projects, especially if you only have one oven and you plan to roast a whole Turkey.

For one 8”x8” pyrex dish. If this is a Thanksgiving side and there are half a dozen other sides, this will be more than enough for 6 people.

Ingredients:

Roasting the Squash

1 large Butternut Squash. Select one with a generous neck and small bulb section for easy prepping

Butter (unsalted) 3 Tbs divide into 3 pieces for roasting the squash

Olive oil 3Tbs

Salt to taste

Assembling the Final Product

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Pecan halves roughly crushed

1 c. Mini Marshmellows or 4 Large Marshmellows (each sliced into 4 discs)

Butter (unsalted) 3 Tbs diced divided into 6-8 pieces for finishing the assemble dish

Cinnamon to taste

Roasting the Squash

Butternut squash is the easiest to deal with while also producing the best yield. Alternatively, you could use one of the following varieties or a combination of them; Acorn, Kabocha, Cinderella, Delicata, and Kuri-kuri.

Here is a link to a video of how to break down an Acorn Squash for easy dicing.

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees

1. Trim the ends off the Butternut Squash then cut the squash, separating the bulb from the neck. 

2. Stand the bulb section on its end and use a chef knife to peel off the skin. I recommend going deep enough to reveal the bright orange flesh of the squash, so there are no remnants of the rind.

3. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. 

4. Slice each half of the bulb in 1” slices. The slices will be curved, but you can now dice each one into 1” cubes. They don’t have to be perfect, but cut them so they are similar in size.

5. For the neck, stand it vertically on an end, and peel it like the bulb. 

6. Cut the neck into slices that are approximately 1” thick. Cut the slices into long strips that are 1” wide. Dice the strips into 1” cubes. 

7. Spread all of the diced squash on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. 

8. Drizzle 3 TBS of olive on the squash. Season with salt (maybe a Tbs to start). The salt is important to drawing out moisture and developing flavor. You can adjust later as they cook, but it is important to get some salt on them now. Mix the squash thoroughly on the tray to ensure it is coated with olive oil. 

9. Spread the squash into an even single layer on the tray. 

10. Place three 1Tbs pads of butter on the squash. 

11. Cook for 10-15 min at 400. Remove them from the oven and gently turn them over. At this point they should look like they have started to steam. Turn them over without smashing them and try to move the cubes at the edges to the middle and the cubes in the middle to the edges. 

12. Return the squash to the oven and continue to roast for another 20-ish minutes. You want them to be creamy inside  and golden brown outside. They will go through a phase of steaming and releasing their moisture and then they will caramelize. Be patient and handle them carefully to maintain their shape. I use a metal spoon to turn over versus a wooden or silicon spoon. As they caramelize they will have a bit more structure. When they are creamy inside, you will be able to easily smash them with the back of a spoon.

13. Remove them from the oven and allow them to completely cool on the sheet tray. 

14. If you are doing this in advance, transfer them to a wide container to avoid smashing them together. 

Assembling and Finishing:

1. In an 8”x8” pyrex dish put a single layer of squash down in the dish. 

2. Sprinkle cinnamon to your preference over this first layer. 

3. Sprinkle some of the brown sugar, crushed pecans, three pieces of butter, and a few discs, or a small handful of mini, marshmallows.

4. Add the rest of the squash in the next layer. 

5. Sprinkle cinnamon to your preference, I am usually pretty generous. 

6. Add the rest of the brown sugar over the surface, or more if you think it needs it. 

7. Place the discs of marshmallow, or the mini marshmallows,  on top of the squash in an even distribution. 

8. Sprinkle the remaining pecans all over the surface in-between the marshmallows. 

9. Add the last 3-5 pieces of butter and place them around the top. 

10. Cover with Aluminum foil or a silicon baking lid. 

11. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes to get the squash hot, the sugars and fats melting. 

12. Uncover and broil until golden brown and crisped on the top. 

A conflict but, not really.

Candied Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Pie are not the same, but they are similar. I love pumpkin pie, but when I make Candied Butternut Squash, I feel like I don’t need a Pumpkin Pie. Instead all that is necessary is an excellent Apple Pie. Here is the recipe for that;) https://www.thestrengthkitchen.com/kitchen/apple-pie-recipe

…I would argue that Candied Yams are just as similar to Pumpkin Pie as Candied Butternut Squash.