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Smashed Squash with Toasted Pecans

This recipe serves 8–10 people. It was originally included as part of the Duerksen Turkey feature published in the November 2014 issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine.

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash
  • 1 large buttercup squash
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon of Miracle Blend (from Alden Mill House, aldenmillhouse.com)
  • 1 cup pecans, crushed

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash the outside of squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish with ½ inch of water in the bottom. Cover with foil and bake for 1½ hours or until soft. Remove squash from oven. Place in a large mixing bowl and mash completely with potato masher or electric mixer. Add ¼ cup butter, brown sugar and Miracle Blend, combine thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine the pecans with 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside. Transfer squash mixture to a lightly buttered baking dish, top with pecans, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking squash until pecans are toasted and brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and serve