Scalloped Butternut Squash
Beautiful accompaniment to a holiday feast.
Use a mandolin to slice this squash. It makes a beautiful accompaniment at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5–6 pounds butternut squash
5 ounces mild Cheddar, rind discarded and cheese coarsely grated
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish (3-quart capacity).
Stir together salt and pepper in a small bowl. Cut off necks of the butternut squash, reserving bottoms for another use (you will need about 3 pounds of necks). Peel squash and very thinly slice it with a mandolin.
Layer ⅓ of squash slices, overlapping, in baking dish and sprinkle with some salt and pepper mixture. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then layer half of remaining squash slices and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Bring cream and thyme sprigs to a simmer in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Discard thyme and pour cream evenly over squash. Put a sheet of parchment paper on surface of squash and poke a few holes in parchment with a knife. Bake squash mixture until tender, about 45 minutes.
Discard parchment and let squash stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, cut rounds from squash with a cookie cutter and transfer to plates with a spatula. Stack two rounds on top of each other for each serving and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.