Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash

We've had a butternut squash languishing on the counter for a couple weeks now. I keep telling myself that tommorrow will be the day that I finally manage to do something with it. But then it just never quite happens.

I had been vaguely thinking of making the squash salad out of that vegetable a day cookbook I'd been flipping through a while back, but I just wasn't feeling it today, so I turned to Cook's Country instead.

The squash was pretty nice. But I found it a bit greasy. I think that 3 Tbsp. of oil + 2 Tbsp. of butter is way too much fat for one squash. I'd probably try cutting the oil and butter each by a Tbsp. next time.

I was also a little confused by the flavour combinations. The lemon version involved cumin, cinnamon, and thyme. With the lime, they had cumin, allspice, and chives. And with the orange, they had cumin, coriander, and oregano. Now, I followed the recipe this time, and it was tasty but, personally, I would've been much more inclined to put the lime with the cumin and coriander and then double up on the Coriandrum with a bit of cilantro (coriander leaves) in the butter. I've included the original recipes below, but below that I've also included my take on what flavour combinations I think would be good.

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash with Honey-Lemon Butter

From Cook's Country December/January 2018

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Whisk together oil, 1 tsp. salt, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne.
3. Toss squash with oil mixture.
4. Dump squash into prepared baking sheet and spread to form an even layer.
5. Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 30 minutes.
6. Combine butter and honey and heat until butter is completely melted.
7. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt, thyme, and lemon juice.
8. Drizzle squash with butter mixture and serve.

---

Variations

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash with Honey-Lime Butter

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp. lime juice

Spice-Roasted Butternut Squash with Honey-Orange Butter

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tsp. orange juice

Better Butternut Squash: Lemon

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ajwain seeds, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Better Butternut Squash: Lime

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp. lime juice

Better Butternut Squash: Orange

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1.25kg butternut squash, cubed
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp. orange juice