Roasted Butternut Squash

First off, Merry Christmas! I've been enjoying the holiday with my family, which as always involves a lot of cooking. I stuck to a pretty simple, and traditional menu for our Christmas meal today, since it was just the three of us here: roasted turkey, stuffing, carrots, butternut squash, and salad. I was very pleased with how the squash turned out.

This is a simple recipe, but boasts a rich combination of savory and sweet flavors for a very well-rounded side dish. I picked up a whole butternut squash for this, but you could just as easily use pre-cut or frozen cubed butternut squash. Peeling the squash can be a bit of a pain, so I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a shortcut there.

Ingredients:

• One large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 2 Tbsp oil
• Two or three sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the butternut squash into a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil, and hand toss until all of the pieces are evenly coated. Strip the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle evenly over the squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place on the center rack of the oven and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

The squash should be tender, but with some darker caramelized parts. The salt, pepper, and rosemary provide a nice balance to the butternut squash's natural sweetness. It's not a member of the usual lineup for Christmas dinner, but I think it may make it into the regular rotation in my kitchen.