Roasted Squash with Garlic and Thyme

"Sweet Cloves and Liquid Gold", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I really like the name of this theme. It's all about garlic and olive oil! We love garlic, including my two kids. What's not to love about garlic, especially when they are baked to creamy and crispy perfection, absolutely fragrant, coated with the wonderful liquid gold that we can simply do without, olive oil! Yummilicious!

I made "Roasted Squash with Garlic and Thyme" a few weeks ago, as a side dish to a roasted chicken meal for dinner, even before the theme was announced! I was grinning that how perfect this dish is to match the theme. We love pumpkin and garlic, especially so when they are roasted or baked. 

A really easy side dish that comes together in a jiffy. The only waiting time is when they are roasting away in the oven. I have used pumpkin and double the amount of garlic! In the recipe, the squash is left unpeeled, but I have peeled the pumpkin, and cut the wedges into two halves, for easier eating. 

Heat some butter and olive oil in a roasting pan, add in the pumpkin wedges, scatter some thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Turn the pumpkin wedges over so that they are fully coated with the oil and pepper. I sprinkled on more pepper when they are turned over. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, basting the pumpkin wedges from time to time, add in the sliced garlic and continue to roast for another 15 to 20 minutes until the pumpkin are tender and lightly brown.

These are so good! We loved it. By the time dinner was over, there's not a piece of pumpkin or even a slice of garlic left, the tray was practically clean! The pumpkin are so tender, sweet and garlicky delicious! The liquid gold, the olive oil, makes it all comes together! Request from the family to make this again, and I will! Yum! Yum!

Roasted Squash with Garlic and Thyme
(adapted from "Pure Simple Cooking", Diana Henry)
serves 4 as a side dish
2lbs winter squash or pumpkin
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp salted butter
4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 375F. Halve the squash and scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers. Cut into slices about 3/4 inch thick at the thickest part. Put the olive oil and butter in a shallow roasting pan and heat gently. Add the wedges of squash. Pull the leaves off the thyme and sprinkel those on, seasoning with salt and pepper. Turn the wedges over, making sure you get herbs, fat, and seasoning all over them. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelized. Baste the squash every so often while they're cooking and sprinkle the garlic over 15 minutes before the end of cooking time.

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I'm linking this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), the theme for this week, "Sweet Cloves and Liquid Gold"

and :

Cook-Your-Books #18 @ kitchen flavours