This is an excellent side dish for the holidays. The combination of robustness of the vegetables, tartness of the cranberries, freshness of the herbs and creaminess of the feta cheese compliments most dishes.
It can be made with butternut squash, sweet potatoes or both, depending on your preferences. Either fresh herb or dried herbs can be used in the baking process. However, dried herbs seem to hold up better to the heat of the oven.
When seasoning the vegetables, the best judge of how much are the eyes and nose to individual preference. Prior to roasting, it is easy to not use enough salt. Salt generously.
- 1 medium butternut squash 3/8" cubes
- 3 Sweet potatoes 3/8" cubes
- olive oil
- thyme dried
- rosemary dried, roughly ground
- Rubbed Sage dried
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cranberries fresh
- Feta Cheese
- Pecans chopped roughly
- Bacon Lardons
- rosemary fresh
- thyme fresh
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees (F).
- Toss the butternut squash and yams with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
- Place in on a baking sheet or casserole pan. (Roasting them on a baking sheet will make for a slightly crispier texture.)
- Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- Top with fresh cranberries. (If roasting on a sheet pan, move the vegetables to a baking dish.) Use enough cranberries to almost cover the vegetables.
- Roast another 20-25 minutes until the cranberries have burst and the vegetables are tender.
- Top with bacon lardons, feta cheese crumbles, pecans and fresh herbs
- Serve
It is useful to salt and pepper to taste at each stage of the recipe. It is also useful to sprinkle with finishing salt before applying the toppings.
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