Mashed Butternut Squash & Sweet Potatoes with Citrus ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: Butternut squash and sweet potatoes, roasted then mashed. Brightened with citrus zest.

So you know how some times a butternut squash can be a little bit watery? And a sweet potato a little bit stringy or starchy? Aha -- the trick is to blend them! This is a lovely way to get the best of both vegetables, texture-wise. It's a combination that bears repetition, whether using this specific recipe or not.

That said, I was surprised at how good these were, flavor-wise, too. The zest really brings out the squash and sweet potato flavors.

And truly, isn't the color gorgeous? This would be a splendid choice for Thanksgiving.

Thank you, Constancia! Many thanks to a New York reader for sharing this recipe. She wrote, "This recipe is not original, it comes from Lynn Rosetto Kasper’s The Splendid Table, where she calls it Yom Kippur Squash. It is traditional, at least in Italy, to serve golden food on Yom Kippur to welcome in a rich new year. It has become a standard at Thanksgiving and Christmas in my house. These are very similar meals, since they both involve turkey (my daughter’s favorite) and lots — at least 5 — vegetable dishes. Since I am Jewish but my husband is not, I also love the irony of making a traditional Jewish dish for this holiday. And to top it off, it tastes great. To use up leftovers, we add eggs and bake, sometimes separating the eggs and beating the whites."

MASHED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SWEET POTATOES with CITRUS

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Makes 3 cups

1 large butternut squash (2 - 3 pounds), washed, sliced in half length-wise, seeds scooped out with a grapefruit spoon
1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed, pricked with a knife

3 tablespoons olive oil (less would work just fine)
1 large onion, chopped (next time I'll use two onions)

4 cups water
Zest of 2 oranges and 2 lemons, about 3 tablespoons (see NOTES)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste

ROAST the VEGETABLES Set oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the squash on the foil cut-side up, add the sweet potatoes. Roast for 1 hour plus the number of minutes left to preheat. (See NOTES.) Scrape the flesh from the skins.

CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS Meanwhile, heat the oil on MEDIUM til shimmery in a large skillet. Add the onion and stir to coat with fat. Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn golden and nearly brown.

BLANCH THE ZEST In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Drop in the zest and let cook for about 3 minutes. Lift out with slotted spoon or strainer. Chop til fine.

ASSEMBLE In a large bowl, mash the cooked squash and sweet potatoes til quite smooth. Mix in the cooked onion, chopped zest, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Complete the recipe, refrigerate.
BEFORE DINNER These were really easy to re-warm in a saucepan. I did need to add just a little bit of water so they wouldn't burn.
LEFTOVERS Leftovers can be reheated, or you can separate eggs (the number depends on how much of the squash you have), mix the yolks into the squash, beat the whites until they form soft peaks, and fold into the squash. Spread in a baking dish and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per half cup: 226Cal; 7g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 55mg Sodium; 41g Carb; 7g Fiber; 34NetCarb; 9g Sugar; 4g Protein; Weight Watchers 4 points

KITCHEN NOTES
IMPORTANT! The citrus flavor develops only after sitting for a couple of days. So not only can this be made ahead of time, I recommend it.
If the sweet potatoes aren't full roasted, pop them into the microwave for a few minutes to finish off.
A microplane will create too fine a zest, so use a paring knife to cute wide swaths or a lemon zester like this one.

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MORE UNUSUAL VEGETABLES PAIRS for THANKSGIVING
~ Mashed Potatoes & Carrots from Kitchen Parade ~
~ Those Pink Potatoes from Kitchen Parade ~
~ Scalloped Swedes & Finns ~

~ more sweet potato recipes ~
~ more butternut squash recipes ~
~ more purées & mashes ~
~ Thanksgiving Vegetable Recipes 2008 ~

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FAITHFUL READERS Are you afraid that A Veggie Venture has become butter-cream-n-cheese blog? No doubt, Thanksgiving vegetables are rich. But don't worry, A Veggie Venture will soon return to its usual vegetable recipes, fast, low-calorie and easy to put on the table. After testing all these Thanksgiving recipes? I have to!

Here at A Veggie Venture, vegetables are the real stars of the Thanksgiving table. So watch for new Thanksgiving recipes all November long, new additions to my collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes. Whether it's 2006's famous World's Best Green Bean Casserole or 2007's favorite Cauliflower Cream or a brand-new recipe which catches your fancy, this year, move vegetables to your center stage.
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