Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cream and Candied Bacon
by Cindi Sutter, Founder of The Spirited Table® - Recipe by Rhoda Boone- EPICURIOUS OCTOBER 2016
It's like a twice-baked potato that's gone to heaven.
What if, for once, your Thanksgiving sides were just as dazzling as the centerpiece turkey? Imagine a world where presenting a platter of seasonal vegetables inspires the same amount of cooing that the turkey does. Welcome to the world of twice-baked butternut squash.
Sure, you could just roast some squash wedges and call it a day. But where's the fun in that? To make this year's most impressive vegetable side, Epi's food director Rhoda Boone gave super-seasonal butternut squash the twice-baked potatoes treatment: Mash the inside of the vegetable with butter, cream, and anything else that might make it more delicious, then pile it back into the vegetable, bake it until golden and velvety. The result is a jaw-dropping, brightly colored sweet-meet-savory butternut squash side dish. Here are just a few more reasons this creation belongs on this year's Thanksgiving table:
BUTTERNUT SQUASH IS JUST PLAIN NICER
Make no mistake: Between the gorgeous orange color of butternut squash and the range of luscious toppings, this dish is a spectacle. “Thanksgiving is when you want everything to feel overflowing and abundant,” said Rhoda. She made sure of that by roasting large, plump butternut squash halves and hollowing out the "shells", and then overloading them with mashed butternut squash seasoned with bacon fat, cream, Parmesan, and a bit of nutmeg. The result: a bountiful (and beautiful) presentation that creams the competition. Speaking of which...
PARMESAN CREAM > SOUR CREAM
Did I mention that the twice-baked squash also has cream on top? But I’m not talking about a dollop of tangy sour cream or the stuff from your pie-topping supply. This is Thanksgiving, after all. I’m talking about a finishing touch starring Parmesan cheese, which you'll infuse into the whipped cream itself, creating a topping with worlds more flavor than your standard issue sour cream.
What's better, you don't need any high-tech gear to pull it off. Just heat cream to a gentle simmer, stir constantly, and whatever you do, don’t turn your back on it. Whisk grated Parm into the cream, then transfer that cheese-infused mixture to a large mixing bowl and chill—along with a whisk—until as cold as possible. “The colder the cream is, the faster it’ll be to whip up peaks,” said Rhoda. Chill the cream until it’s time to serve, then whip it using an electric mixer or whisk until thick and spoonable. Looks like sour cream has a reason to feel just a tad sour.
CANDIED-HAZELNUT BACON BITS > ALL OTHER BACON BITS
Rhoda topped the twice-baked butternut squash with a shower of crunchy, candied, bacon-y hazelnuts. It may be flashy, but it sure ain’t fussy: You merely cook sugar in a skillet until it melts and turns golden brown, then add diced cooked bacon and finely chopped hazelnuts and cook a bit more. There you go: Now you've got a sweet and savory topping that you totally deserve to snack on during Thanksgiving prep.
YOU STILL GET TO HAVE CHIVES
We changed the base of the dish from potatoes to squash, but there still have to be some chives, the classic topping for baked potatoes of all kinds. Their flavor cuts through the heavy cream and the sweet bacon bits, while the green color turns this squash dish into a looker.
IT’S (ALMOST) 100% MAKE AHEAD
Like all great Thanksgiving sides, these twice-baked butternuts are very make-ahead. Roast the butternut squash on Tuesday; on Wednesday, assemble the filling, make the Parmesan cream, and cook the bacon candy. Come Thanksgiving, all you have to do is warm the squash in an oven, whip the Parm cream, and watch your guests fight over the last spoonful.
YIELD Serves 6–8
Ingredients
1 large (about 5 pounds) and 1 medium (about 3 1/2 pounds) butternut squash
2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces), divided
3 strips bacon (about 3 ounces)
4 Tbsp sugar, divided
2 Tbsp finely chopped hazelnuts
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 Tbsp chopped chives, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut both squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Transfer cut side down to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Poke outside of skin all over with a fork, then roast until flesh is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours for large squash and about 1 hour for medium squash.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 cup cream in a medium pot over medium until just beginning to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in 1/4 cup cheese and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until very cold, about 45 minutes (do not freeze).
- Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Let cool, then finely chop.
- Spread 3 Tbsp. sugar in a thin layer in the center of a medium dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, mostly undisturbed (it's ok to swirl pan gently to get sugar to melt evenly), until sugar melts and starts to turn light brown, about 6 minutes. Quickly stir in bacon and hazelnuts and cook, stirring, until coated and melted sugar is chestnut brown, about 1 minute more. Scrape onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool, then finely chop.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Using a spoon, scoop flesh out of large squash into a large bowl, leaving a 1/2" border around squash shell to help maintain its shape. Transfer large shells to a rimmed baking sheet; arrange a few pieces of crumpled foil around shells to keep them upright. Scoop flesh out of medium shells into same bowl (you should have 6 cups squash); discard medium shells. Using a potato masher or spatula, mix in salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat, and remaining 1 cup cream, 3/4 cup cheese, and 1 Tbsp. sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 Tbsp. chives. Divide filling between large squash shells, then create attractive swoops with a spoon. Bake squash until warmed through, 20–30 minutes.