What is a fall holiday feast without the most famous cold-weather fruit—yes, it is a fruit!—squash! A step up from the classic Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole, Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield perfectly blends sweet and savory flavors with his maple syrup, pecan-topped oven-roasted acorn squash recipe. To amp up the flavor palate, Satterfield adds an herbal essence with some woodsy rosemary to balance out the candied sweetness of the other ingredients. Since the dish is a big hit at his family’s Thanksgiving, Satterfield notes that the recipe can be easily doubled for a larger gathering.
recipe 
yields
Serves 2 to 4
1 large acorn squash
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
½ cup maple syrup
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, divided
¼ cup chopped pecans, divided
ingredients
steps
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a cutting board, place squash stem side up. Using a large sharp knife, cut squash in half through stem. Cut each half again, leaving four quarters. Scoop out seeds and discard. Using a vegetable peeler, remove skin. If any skin remains in crevices, remove it with paring knife.
- In a baking dish, place squash quarters hollow side up. Add ¼ inch water to bottom of dish. Sprinkle rosemary leaves over each quarter. Drizzle with maple syrup, taking care to completely cover squash surface. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 1 hour. (Water should evaporate by end of cooking time, but if it does so too quickly, squash might scorch on the bottom. To prevent this, check halfway through cooking time and add water as needed.)
- Top each quarter with ½ tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon pecans. Return to oven and cook until butter is melted and pecans are golden, about 10 more minutes.
Date Published: 10.25.23
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Recipe By
Adapted from Root to Leaf by Steven Satterfield (Harper Wave). Copyright © 2015. -
Contributing City
Atlanta
