Serves- 6-8

Ingredients

1 Large Butternut Squash, halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped garden sage

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

Bed

1 1/2 cups Bluebird Grain Farms’ Potlatch Pilaf

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons olive oil + a drizzle for later

3 cups of water or stock

1/2 cup freshly diced swiss chard ( any rich green can work)

salt and pepper to taste

Topping

¼ cup crumbled goat cheese

¼ cup chopped roasted walnuts or pecans

¼ cup dried cranberries

Method

Preheat oven to 400. 

Cut the butternut squash in half, vertically.  Leave the stem in place.  Set other half aside or roast to double the recipe or use later. Remove seeds. Peel squash. Place squash face down on oiled baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully take squash out of the roasting pan and set onto cutting board.

While squash is cooling melt butter. Add sage, rosemary, garlic and a dash of sea salt.  
Stir, until all ingredients are incorporated and cook on medium heat until garlic and sage are slightly browned.   Set aside. 

Carefully  cut one half of the squash into  ½ to ¼ inch slices, horizontally, without cutting all the way through the squash. Imagine you are creating an accordion- you want the whole of the squash to stay intact.  You can use guides (pencils work) on either side of the squash to help prevent you from slicing all the way through.  Place sliced squash back in roasting pan and brush ½ of the melted sage-butter mixture on to top of the squash, reserving the other half for later.   Place squash back in the oven and continue roasting for 20-30 minutes until squash is fully cooked. 

While squash is in the oven, cook Potlatch Pilaf.

On Stovetop over medium heat add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and shallots. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until shallots are translucent. Add potlatch Pilaf and liquid, and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Turn burner off and let pilaf rest for 5 minutes.

Or In rice cooker add pilaf, shallots, oil and liquid. Cook on white rice setting ( approx 20-minutes).

In a medium size bowl toss cooked pilaf and chard. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt until coated.

Remove squash from oven and let cool approximately 5 minutes. Spread the pilaf on a serving platter. Carefully place squash on top of pilaf. Drizzle the remaining sage butter mixture over the squash and the pilaf (you may have to heat butter mixture up before drizzling).

Top squash and pilaf with goat cheese, roasted walnuts, and cranberries. Serve Warm.