WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS With its silky texture and earthy, lightly sweet flavor, pureed butternut squash is a crowd-pleasing cool-weather side dish. Most recipes for pureed squash are similar in that they call for cooking the squash until tender and then pureeing it with some butter and/or heavy cream in a food processor. We pitted four butternut squash cooking methods against one another: roasting, steaming, braising, and microwaving. Roasting took more than an hour, while steaming and braising washed away some of the distinct squash flavor. Microwaving, in addition to being one of the easiest and fastest cooking methods, won tasters over for producing a clean, sweet squash flavor. We found that microwaving peeled chunks, rather than halves or whole squash, resulted in even cooking. Squash cooked this way needed only a small amount of dairy to add some complexity. We found the ideal additions to be butter and half-and-half; the combination added richness without overpowering the squash flavor. Infusing the butter with sage and topping the puree with toasted almonds elevated this side dish. You can substitute delicata squash for the butternut squash; for a smoother puree, peel the delicata squash.

Serves 8 to 10

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces (10 cups)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, plus extra for seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place squash in large bowl. Microwave, covered, until tender and easily pierced with tip of paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add sage and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes; set aside.
3. Uncover squash, being careful of steam, and drain in colander.
4. Process drained squash, sage butter, half-and-half, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and extra sugar to taste.
6. Sprinkle with almonds and serve

VARIATION

• BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE WITH ORANGE:
  Omit sage and almonds. Skip step 2. Add 2 tablespoons orange marmalade to food processor with butter.