Savoury Squash

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut squash
• 0.5 stick Butter
• Salt
• St. Augur blue cheese
• Chives

Method

Halve the butternut squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast at 200°C until the flesh yields to a knife without resistance — roughly 45 minutes, depending on size. You're aiming for complete softness; undercooked squash will stay grainy in the mixer. The caramelisation on the cut face doesn't matter here since you're mashing it all together, but it does concentrate the natural sugars, which you'll taste in the final purée.

Scoop the flesh into a stand-mixer bowl. On medium-high speed, work in 55g of softened butter until fully incorporated — the mixture should lighten slightly and turn glossy. This butter-sauce emulsion is what gives the dish its silkiness; cold butter won't distribute evenly. Season with salt now, tasting as you go. Crumble in half the St. Augur and mix until the blue cheese streaks through the squash. The acid and salt in the cheese will cut the squash's natural sweetness, so hold back the second half until you've tasted.

Transfer to a casserole dish. Taste again and fold in more blue cheese if the sweetness is still dominant — St. Augur's peppery tang needs to be assertive enough to make you sit up. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 160°C for 12–15 minutes to warm through and marry the flavours. You're not trying to brown or dry it; this is a finishing warm, not a second cooking.

Scatter chopped fresh chives over the top just before serving. The onion notes will brighten the richness of the cheese and butter. If the mash has split or looks oily during baking, you've likely used cold butter or overworked the mixture — next time, ensure your butter is at room temperature and stop mixing once everything is combined.