I have been a fan of delicata squash for a while now. Initially it was more challenging to find outside of a farmers market or produce-forward store, but now it’s everywhere. The attraction is it’s easy to prepare. It doesn’t require peeling and delivers plenty of winter squash flavor.
Heidi Swanson recently ran a post showcasing several delicata squash preparations, and this is the one that first caught my eye.
It seems endlessly adaptable as a first course, a side dish, great to expand into a complete salad meal by adding lots of fresh greens and a protein. As always I hope you will make this your own by adapting the recipe to suit your tastes.
It’s simple to prepare and packs a ton of flavor. Plus it’s pretty darn gorgeous, no?
Roasted Delicata Squash with Shallots in Chile-Lime Cilantro Dressing
Adapted from alexandracooks.com
INGREDIENTS
- 2 delicata squash, ends trimmed, halved and seeds removed; sliced into 1/ 2-inch thick pieces
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more if needed to taste
- 1/ 2 cup raw shallot, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch widths
- 1/ 2 jalapeno pepper, or to taste, finely diced (or sliced if you like the heat)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus the rind thinly grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 small bunch of cilantro, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Place an oven rack on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F.
Place the sliced delicata squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the squash slices around to cover each with olive oil. Add more oil if needed. Season the squash with salt to taste. (The original recipe suggests 1 teaspoon of kosher salt for a full sheet pan full of sliced squash.). Arrange the slices into a single layer.
Place the pan of squash into the oven and roast for about 8 – 10 minutes, when you see some browning on them, remove the pan from the oven. Flip the squash slices over and slide the squash with a spatula to clear a corner for the shallots. Add the shallots to the corner of the pan in a single layer and return the pan to the oven. Roast an additional 8 – 10 minutes until both the squash and shallots have browned at the edges. Test the squash with a fork to check they are tender but still provide slight resistance. You don’t want them mushy.
The idea is to get the squash and shallot done at about the same time, everything browned at the edges, some golden spots dotting the squash. No worries if you need to pull one out before the other. If they have not browned but are nearly cooked through, switch your oven to broil for a few minutes to get the coloring you desire. Keep a close eye on their browning progress and do not walk away from the oven as it only takes a minute to go from golden spots to burned!
Remove as needed to a wide bowl that will hold both and leave room for stirring in the remaining ingredients.
In the meantime, prepare the dressing: Grate the rind of the lime with a microplane or fine grater. Cut the lime in half crosswise and juice to obtain 2 tablespoons. Combine the lime rind and juice in a small bowl then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the ground cumin, diced jalapeno, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine.
With the roasted squash and shallots in the wide bowl, drizzle on the dressing and stir gently until well coated. Add the cilantro and stir again. Serve warm or at room temperature.
