Butternut Squash Gratin
Written by: Rosie Collins
This rustic squash gratin is the perfect way to turn a simple butternut squash into a delicious side dish for lamb chops, roasted sausages, or even your Sunday roast. With a sharp dressed green salad it also makes a hearty vegetarian main, perfect for cooler evenings and long weekend lunches.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Finely slice the onion and cook in the butter for 15-20 minutes, stirring often until golden and soft. Peel and crush the garlic, and stir it into the onions, cooking for another couple of minutes until fragrant. Finely chop the sage leaves, stir them into the mix, then remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, make the cream mix by whisking together the double cream, milk, 10g of the parmesan, nutmeg, and plenty of salt and pepper.
Also, prepare the squash. Trim both ends, and use a vegetable peeler to remove all of the skin. Split down the middle using a large, very sharp knife, and use a spoon to scrape out all the seeds from the hollow. Then, slice each half into the thinnest slices you can manage.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
To assemble the gratin, layer the squash slices with the cooked onion mix and the custard. At the end, scatter over the grated gruyere cheese and the remaining parmesan.
Bake, covered with foil for 1 hour, removing the foil for the final 15 minutes. Leave the gratin to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Available in store
- very large knob of butter
- 1 large onion
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs of sage
- 250ml double cream
- 100ml semi-skimmed milk
- 35g grated parmesan, divided
- ¼tsp grated nutmeg
- freshly ground salt and pepper
- 1 medium squash (approx 800g)
- 25g grated gruyere cheese