True comfort food is popular with guests, and excellent at Thanksgiving and other special occasions. This dish is an excellent replacement for mashed potatoes. A half cup of mashed potatoes will likely have at least 50 mg of oxalate. A half cup of this dish will have only 5-10 mg. Bake and drain the squash a day or more before you assemble this dish. It is worth the effort.
Fluffy Mashed Squash with Cheese
1 shallot, minced
1 onion, finely diced
4 T clarified butter, divided
3-5 cloves (or more) garlic, minced
1 tsp. mineral salt
⅛ – ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (opt.)
4 Cups drained winter squash puree (2 medium butternuts or 1 large pumpkin, baked, pureed and drained for 24 hours)
½ Cup firm plain whole milk yogurt (or full-fat sour cream)
4-6 ounces aged cheddar cheese, grated or chopped
½ red bell pepper (raw or roasted), diced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter over medium heat in a large (2½ quart) sauce pan. Add the shallot and onion and saute for 5-10 minutes or until slightly browned
- Reduce head, add the garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, and an additional 2 tablespoons clarified butter. Saute for 1 minute
- In a large bowl combine onion mixture with squash, cheese and yogurt (or sour cream) using electric beaters or a large spoon. (If the sauce pan is large enough, you can just use the pan.)
- (optional) Add the red pepper.
- Transfer to a buttered 1½ quart casserole dish. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10-20 minutes (30-40 minutes total). The casserole should be heated through and the cheese melted. The top can brown slightly.
- Variation: Use 6-8 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled or grated, in place of the cheddar
Fresh out of the oven: fluffy mashed squash.