Butternut Squash With Chile & Bay Leaf

I'd been eyeing Bon Appetit's Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe for a few months now, but today is the day I finally conquered it! To put it in simple terms: it's that fancy dish you bring to family gatherings and Thanksgiving potlucks when you don't want to put in that much effort, but you still want to leave people impressed. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with "hasselbacking," the term refers to the cooking technique of thinly slicing vegetables (such as potatoes and squash) just deep enough so they are not cut all the way through. This makes for not only a stunning display, but also helps the food absorb flavors in the tiny crevices. 

Butternut squash was a wonderful vegetable to experiment my first hasselback with, tender but with a full texture, and lots of baking time required! The chile-butter sauce adds flavor and a bit of heat and pairs perfectly with a few bay leaves, which are roasted for almost a full hour with the squash. Now let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash or 2–3 small honeynut squash (about 3 pounds total)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 Fresno chile, thinly sliced

¼ cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

6–8 dried bay leaves

Recipe:

Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a large spoon. Using a peeler, remove skin and white flesh below (you should reach the deep orange flesh). Rub all over with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast in a baking dish just large enough to hold halves side by side until beginning to soften (a paring knife should easily slip in only about ¼"), 15–18 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chile, maple syrup, butter, and vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high, stirring occasionally and removing chile as soon as desired heat level is reached (set aside for serving), until just thick enough to coat spoon, 6–8 minutes. Reduce heat to very low and keep glaze warm.

Transfer squash to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Using a sharp knife, score rounded sides of squash halves crosswise, going as deep as possible but without cutting all the way through. Return squash to baking dish, scored sides up, and tuck bay leaves between a few of the slices; season with salt and pepper.

Roast squash, basting with glaze every 10 minutes or so and using pastry brush to lift off any glaze in dish that is browning too much, until tender and glaze forms a rich brown coating, 45–60 minutes. Serve topped with reserved chiles.