Peppered Squash Gratin

Name: Peppered Squash Gratin
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 lb Winter Squash (5 lbs. squash such as butternut, acorn or kabocha, peeled, seeded, sliced ¼” thick); 4 oz Parmesan Cheese (4 ounces parmesan, grated (about 1 cup)); 8 cloves Garlic (8 cloves garlic, very well smashed, coarsely chopped or thinly sliced); 0 pieces Kosher Salt (Kosher salt, so much freshly ground black pepper); 0 pieces Red Pepper Flakes (Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)) — optional; 4 sprig Sage (4–6 sprigs sage or 2–3 tablespoons thyme, rosemary or oregano leaves — up to 6); 1 cup Heavy Cream (1 cup heavy cream); 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, plus more olive oil)

Sliced winter squash is layered with Parmesan, garlic, herbs, and heavy cream, then baked until tender and caramelized.

American

Servings8

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Vegetarian
Gluten Free
Keto
Pescatarian
Halal
Low Carb

Steps

1Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C (no fan). Layer squash, parmesan, garlic and sage leaves (or other herbs) in a 1.5–2 qt. baking dish, seasoning each layer with salt, LOTS of pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, if you like.
2Cover with heavy cream and finish with another good sprinkle of parmesan, a good crack of black pepper and a few more leaves of herbs over top. Dot with a few knobs of butter or a drizzle of olive oil and cover with foil. Cover with foil and pop in the oven and bake until squash is totally tender and cooked through, 30–35 minutes.
3Remove foil and continue baking until top is nicely browned and cream is thickened and caramelized around the edges, another 30–35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating (should be served warm, though).
4DO AHEAD: You can make this ahead up until step 2 a few hours ahead. To serve, proceed at step 3. Alternatively, you can just make the recipe all the way through, and when it comes time to eat it, reheat at 425°F/220°C until warmed through.
5LEFTOVERS: This is shockingly good cold. I could also see this warmed up in the oven or microwave with a fried (but runny) egg in the morning.