Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash

Continuing on our kick of butternut squash, I am going to share Barefoot Contessa's Maple Roasted Butternut Squash. This is actually the recipe that turned us on to the vegetable, and I so glad we decided to try it!

Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 head garlic, separated but not peeled
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, chopped*
- 16 whole fresh sage leaves
- French bread, for serving

* Once again, Albany doesn't have pancetta anywhere. I boiled slices of bacon for a couple of minutes to get rid of the smoky flavor.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and seed the butternut squash and then cut it into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes. Place the squash and the whole unpeeled garlic cloves on a sheet pan in one layer. Toss with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the squash begins to brown, turning once during the baking.

Sprinkle the pancetta and the sage leaves evenly over the butternut squash and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the squash and garlic are tender and caramelized. Season to taste and serve hot with French bread for guests to spread with the roasted garlic.