Roasted Acorn Squash With Jalapeño Lime Butter

Keepers

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/roasted-acorn-squash-with-jalapeno-lime-butter • Posted by Rodale

Never know what to do with acorn squash? Halve a couple, season the cut sides, and throw them in a 400°F oven. About 40 minutes later, the golden flesh is soft, sweet, slightly caramelized, and ready to eat. We like it just fine with a big pat of butter (and another generous sprinkle of salt and pepper), but it’s awfully good with this jalapeño-lime butter, too. Like most compound butters--which are ideal for adding lots of flavor with minimal effort--it will keep well in the freezer for about 2 months so long as it’s tightly covered, so we usually make a quadruple batch and portion it into small ramekins or plastic containers. (You can also roll up the butter in parchment paper logs; this yields nice slices later, but we find the process a little fussy.) Use it wherever you want a spicy, citrusy, buttery touch.

You will need

2 Small acorn Squash (about 11/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeded Olive Oil for coating the squash Salt and Pepper 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter , softened 1 Garlic clove, minced 1 tbsp to 2 tablespoons seeded and finely chopped Jalapeno Grated zest of 1 Lime 1 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice 1 tsp Honey 1 pinch of crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Project Budget

Time

Difficulty

Description

Never know what to do with acorn squash? Halve a couple, season the cut sides, and throw them in a 400°F oven. About 40 minutes later, the golden flesh is soft, sweet, slightly caramelized, and ready to eat. We like it just fine with a big pat of butter (and another generous sprinkle of salt and pepper), but it’s awfully good with this jalapeño-lime butter, too. Like most compound butters--which are ideal for adding lots of flavor with minimal effort--it will keep well in the freezer for about 2 months so long as it’s tightly covered, so we usually make a quadruple batch and portion it into small ramekins or plastic containers. (You can also roll up the butter in parchment paper logs; this yields nice slices later, but we find the process a little fussy.) Use it wherever you want a spicy, citrusy, buttery touch.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, with a rack in the middle position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easier cleanup, if you like.

2. Lightly coat the cut sides of the squash with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Put the squash cut-side down on the pan and roast until just tender, about 40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic, jalapeños (to taste), lime zest and juice, honey, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Check the seasonings.

4. Transfer the squash to plates, cut-side up, smear each half with some of the jalapeño-lime butter, and serve.