ArcaMax

We love winter squash prepared the familiar way: sprinkled with brown sugar and dotted with butter, then roasted until it’s tender and sweet. It’s comforting, but not all that inspiring.

For a savory take, and one that would produce a dish that would earn a spot on the table whether it was a chilly weeknight or a Thanksgiving spread, we took inspiration from London-based Chef Yotam Ottolenghi. He slices the squash (skin and all) into thin half-moons to create more surface area for browning. And rather than add more sweetness, he tosses the roasted squash with savory ingredients, which serve as a surprisingly successful foil to the squash's natural sweetness.

We were smitten with this approach, but we knew we wanted to put our own spin on it. Our first move was to lose the skin. Our next was to find ways to get ultimate caramelization on both sides of the squash slices. To do that, we placed the sheet on the lowest oven rack instead of in the middle. On the lowest rack, it absorbed even more heat from the main heating element on the oven's floor. We then flipped the squash (and rotated the baking sheet) partway through roasting so that both sides could caramelize.

The other key to better browning was the fat we used. Instead of tossing the squash with olive oil, we used melted butter, whose milk proteins undergo the Maillard reaction. These slices emerged deeply caramelized, wonderfully sweet and tender.

A combination of goat cheese, pecans and maple syrup made a perfect savory topping for our simple yet presentation-worthy side dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese, Pecans and Maple

Serves 4 to 6

For the squash:

1 large (2 1/2- to 3-pound) butternut squash

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

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