Kabocha Squash Dippers

A delightfully hearty and satisfying finger-food, these squash dippers are infinitely customizable by using different flavors and different dips. Bonus: they're much better for the body than most finger foods! Who needs wings when you have these??

Ingredients

  • Kabocha squash(es)
  • Oil of choice for roasting
  • Generous salt and pepper
  • Spices of choice (see ideas above in the post text)
  • Garnishes of choice (see ideas above in the post text)
  • Dip(s) of choice (see ideas above in the post text)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425.
  2. Cut the kabocha squash in half through its stem (i.e. perpendicular to its equator) and scoop out the seeds.
  3. Flip each half open side downward and cut even wedges. The most important thing is to keep all the wedges approximately the same thickness so they cook evenly. I like to cut each half into 8-12 pieces in order to make small appetizer-appropriate portions.
  4. Lay the squash wedges on a well-oiled sheet tray, making sure they all have full contact with the tray, which will create delicious browning. Salt and pepper them generously.
  5. Roast the squash wedges for ~25-40 minutes until soft. Keep an eye on them, since their cooking time will depend on how thickly you cut the wedges. You want them delightfully tender, but sturdy enough to be dipped.
  6. While the squash cooks, prepare your garnishes and dips of choice (see all the ideas in the post text above!).
  7. If you want to spice the roasting squash, do so about ten minutes before the end of the baking time; this will ensure that the spices don't burn. Wait until the squash is tender but not completely done and sprinkle liberally with whatever spice blend you choose, then return it to the oven for 5-10 minutes to toast the spices.
  8. When the squash is finished, arrange the wedges on a serving platter with a bowl or a few bowls of your favorite dip(s).
  9. Garnish the squash with something fresh and/or crunchy and serve immediately.
RECIPE from The Rogue Brussel Sprout Blog
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