Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 T dark brown sugar
2 T butter
Course grind black pepper, to taste (or approximately 1/4 t)
Pinch salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Spoon Mage™ Note:

Prepping squash is easy with a large well sharpened knife. First wash the squash well and dry it with a towel. Then, place it on a cutting surface and take a slice off both the root and stem ends. Stand the squash on one of the newly sliced ends and sliced the whole squash in half.

Look at all the fibers and seeds in the middle. Scrape them out with a spoon. Now lay the squash cut side down and slice each squash half into 1 inch thick sections. This makes a lot of squash slices. You will need a large baking pan.

Most recipes will tell you the squash slices must be placed in a single layer before baking. If you did that you would need two large baking dishes. Single layers are not necessary for this recipe. I’ve found that the squash cook up just fine when there are two layers as long as you arrange the top layer on an angle (see the picture), so as to expose some of the squash below.

Don’t pack it in, let the squash breathe.

Yes, the skin is edible, very nutritious, and roasts up tender with this method. Some people just love the skin, others do not. Eat it if you like it.

If you only have four to dinner, just buy one large squash and half the rest of the ingredients.

Do not use maple flavored syrup. Only use pure maple syrup.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spray your largest baking pan with non-stick spray.

Prep the squash as described above and layer it into the prepared pan.

Place the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, black pepper, salt, and nutmeg in a small pot and heat it over medium low just until the butter melts.

Stir well and pour the sauce all over the squash. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. Enjoy!