Squash stuffed with sweet potatoes and squash

This week I offered a cookbook giveaway on the blog, and hope that you put your name down for one of them. This is the first time I am doing a giveaway, offering four books sent to me by a Canadian publisher as part of their promotional program. It’s kind of fun to help promote Canadian cookbook authors and give something back to you the readers at the same time. There are four books in the Giveaway, two were offered this week and two more will be offered next Friday.

Also this week I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and especially had fun with these little squashes. They make a perfect container for various fillings and this sweet potato and squash filling was lovely, whether stuffed into a baked squash or served on its own. I like roasting the sweet potatoes before mashing them rather than boil. Roasting concentrates their flavour and brings out a natural sweetness of the potatoes so you really don’t have to add any sugar, which most recipes call for. A little salt if you need, but if you need to embellish go ahead, make my day. Okay, no, just kidding, I won’t send Clint Eastwood after you (unless you want me to). I also bake the squash, scoop out the flesh and mash it together with the sweet potatoes. The textures are compatible and the flavours complementary.

I often serve sweet potatoes combined with various winter squashes. One of my favourite combination is sweet potatoes with butternut squash, but they tend to be too large for individual servings.

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Ingredients:

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4 small winter squash (sweet lightening, acorn, sweet dumpling, carnival, small butternut squash, small delicata squash etc.)

1 tablespoon olive oil optional

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium size cubes

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup candied hazelnuts (or other nuts), roughly chopped.

1 cup pomegranate seeds

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Directions:

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Cut the top off each of the squashes to create a container but do not discard to tops.

Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and discard.

Place the squashes on a baking sheet and if you wish drizzle with a little olive oil. You can add a little brown sugar as well but if you want to keep the dish lean, leave both oil and sugar out.

Cover the squashes with their “lid”, then cover with a foil sheet and bake at 400℉ until they are done. Cooking time will vary depending on the type and size of squash you use, anytime from 4-60 minutes I would guess.

Cover another baking sheet with foil and place the sweet potatoes on the foil. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and toss well with your clean hands or a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with salt.

Cover loosely with a sheet of foil and add to the 400℉ oven together with the squashes. If you have no oven space cook them one after the other.

Roast the potatoes covered for  about 30 minutes, then remove the foil cover and continue to cook until done.

When the squashes are cooked through remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh with a spoon and keep in a bowl.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked through remove from the oven and place in a bowl.

Mash the sweet potatoes with a fork or a potato masher and add the squash. Continue to mash the two together.

Taste and correct the seasoning to your taste.

Stuff each of the squashes loosely with some of the potato-squash mixture allowing it to come over the edges of the squash.

Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and pomegranate seeds and serve warm.

You can serve these with the squash “lids” leaning against the squash on the side of the plate. I forgot to photograph them with the lids.

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