Maple-Braised Butternut Squash with Fresh Thyme

This recipe is adapted from one published in the November 2010 issue of Bon Appétit. I added fresh thyme from the garden only at the very end of cooking. I urge you to use real butter here, you won’t regret it. I “cheated” and used a bag of pre-cut squash from the refrigerated section, but it cut way down on prep time and avoided leftovers. As a result, it did increase the ratio of other ingredients in regards to squash, but the end result was absolutely delicious. It stole the show from the duck served alongside it. The braising got all the flavours into the butternut squash, not just in the sauce. I may have said I was “in love with that squash”, and even the Engineer liked it and compared it to candy.

6 Tbsp (¾ stick) butter
a 3- to 3 ½-lb butternut squash, cut lengthwise in half, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 ¼ cups low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
¼ tsp (or more) black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme

Melt butter in heavy large deep skillet over high heat. Add squash; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, syrup, salt and ¼ tsp pepper; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until squash is almost tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer squash to large bowl. Boil liquid in skillet until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Return squash to skillet and add thyme. Cook until tender, turning occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with more pepper, if desired.