Smoked Gruyere Butternut Squash Recipes

THE BEST SMOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Prepare your smoker for 275 degrees. Add your choice of wood to the fire
• Cut the stem off of the squash and slice down the center, lengthwise. Leave seeds intact. Score the flesh with a sharp knife (optional). Brush with olive oil and season with salt. Place into the smoker for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Squash should be fork-tender when done. Let squash sit for about 30 minutes before handling. Remove seeds and discard. Scoop out the flesh, chop, and use as needed.
• Please note: If you do not want an overly smoky butternut squash, remove it from your smoker after 40 minutes, and finish it up in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

SQUASH, MUSTARD & GRUYèRE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook slowly over a low-medium heat, stirring every now and then, for 10-15 mins until golden and soft.
• Meanwhile, put the garlic and half the sage in a saucepan, add the cream and milk, and heat gently, not allowing the mixture to boil, for 5 mins. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 mins, then fish out the sage and garlic. Stir in the mustard and season well.
• If cooking straight away, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Layer the pumpkin slices, onions, most of the cheese and the infused cream into a large baking dish, finishing with a layer of cream. Once you've used the ingredients up, scatter with the remaining cheese and put the remaining sage leaves on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 mins.
• Uncover the dish and increase the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook for a further 20-30 mins until golden brown and tender all the way through. Leave to cool for 10 mins before serving.

LOADED BUTTERNUT SQUASH "CORDON BLEU"

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Slowly and carefully cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, starting at the stem end. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice off about 1/8 inch from the bottom of each half to ensure they lay flat while baking. Transfer onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and roast until tender but not falling apart, 60 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Use a spoon to scoop squash into a bowl, leaving about 1/2 inch attached to the skin so it won't collapse and fall apart later.
• Add salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and egg to squash. Mix and mash with a spoon until smooth, or leave it a bit chunky, if desired. Stir in 1/4 cup green onions, ham, and diced Gruyere cheese; mix until combined.
• Scoop mixture back into the squash shells, distributing as evenly as possible and top with grated Gruyere.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until cheese is browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and top with green onions. Slice and serve.

MASHED POTATOES AND SQUASH WITH GRUYèRE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place squash halves, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Bake until squash is very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Scoop out squash pulp; transfer to bowl and mash until almost smooth.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes and garlic in large saucepan of boiling salted water until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return potato mixture to saucepan and mash until almost smooth. Add squash and mash to blend well. Stir in 3 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mashed vegetable mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 450#&176;F. Bake vegetable mixture until heated through, about 15 minutes if at room temperature or 25 minutes if chilled. Serve hot.