Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic, Dates and Brown Butter
Just right for winter gatherings, this sweet and savory side dish pairs roasted acorn squash with whole garlic heads and Medjool dates, all tossed with nutty brown butter and seasoned with fresh thyme. In the hot oven, the squash becomes wonderfully caramelized and the garlic, buttery soft. Squeeze out the warm cloves and slather on crusty bread. There’s no need to peel acorn squash before cooking, as the skin becomes tender enough to eat.
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Ingredients:
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./185 g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into wedges, each about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
- 4 garlic heads, top 1 inch (2.5 cm) cut off
- 12 Medjool dates, halved and pitted
- Flaky sea salt
- 1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) pumpkins seeds, toasted
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C).
In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter until foaming. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is lightly browned and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Watch the butter carefully to prevent it from burning.
In a large bowl, toss the squash with half of the brown butter. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. Toss in the thyme sprigs. Arrange the squash wedges, skin side down, on a baking sheet, leaving some space between the wedges. Place the garlic heads, cut side up, between the squash wedges. Drizzle each garlic head with 1 Tbs. of the brown butter and season with salt and pepper.
Roast until the squash and garlic heads are almost fork-tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the dates on the baking sheet. Spoon the remaining brown butter over the squash, garlic heads and dates. Continue to roast until the squash and garlic are very tender and caramelized on top and the dates are softened, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.
Transfer the squash, garlic heads and dates to a serving platter. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and a generous amount of flaky sea salt. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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