Acorn Squash Mashed Potato Boats with Brown Butter, Bacon, and Chives

It’s time for Thanksgiving sides! The best part of Thanksgiving if you ask me. These are SO fun! Anytime a food is served inside of a food, I’m in. How can you lose?! These boats are filled with creamy mashed potatoes mixed with some of the flesh of the acorn squash, and brown butter. These might seem involved, but they’re actually incredibly easy..and less than 10 ingredients! Plus, they’re topped with bacon and chives..and more brown butter. SO good!


I don’t know about you, but I’m eating all of the winter squash this season. I always eat seasonally, but this year especially. I’ve been loving experimenting with delicata squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut of course. They’re full of vitamins and fiber and so many good things. I add them to my breakfast scrambles, as a side for dinner, or stuff them with things..like these potatoes!

This stuff needs no explanation. Just makes everything delicious.

All you do is bake these beauties, scoop out some of the flesh, mix it with your potatoes, and mash away! With a little brown butter, milk, pure maple syrup, and nutmeg, we’re in business.

Then you just stuff the somewhat hollowed-out squashes with the mashed potato/squash mixture, and top with bacon, chives, and extra brown butter drizzle! My mom even ate these for dinner by themselves one night..they’re that good.

These are also super easily multiplied if you have a large crowd for Thanksgiving. They would be super wonderful for a Friendsgiving too..since they’re less traditional. Do you guys do Friendsgiving? Are you all about the traditional sides or do you switch it up on Thanksgiving?

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Acorn Squash Mashed Potato Boats with Brown Butter, Bacon, and Chives

Course Side

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4 boats

Author Molly (Spices in My DNA)

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, ends cut off, halved, and seeds scooped out (I also shaved a tiny bit off the bottom to help them stand upright)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 russet potatotes, peeled and cubed into 1/2-3/4'' chunks
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• salt and pepper
• sprinkle of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Place on baking sheet and rub acorn squash cavities with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Turn them flesh side down, and bake for 40 minutes or until tender.
2. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil for the potatoes and season with salt. Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes or until tender.
3. At this point, brown your butter. Melt over medium heat. Once melted, begin to whisk constantly until butter gets foamy and starts to develop brown bits like pictured above. At this point, keep whisking until butter is very fragrant, nutty, and aromatic. Remove from heat because it can burn very quickly! This process can take a good 10 minutes.
4. Once potatoes are tender, drain and add back to the pot.
5. At this point, the acorn squash should be done. Let cool slightly and scoop out some of the flesh from each cavity, leaving enough flesh so that it remains a "bowl", and not just the skin. Add the acorn squash flesh to potatoes.
6. Add the milk, half of the brown butter, maple syrup, a pinch of nutmeg, and half of the chives to the potato mixture. Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Scoop potato mixture into acorn squash boats, and top with chopped bacon, remaining chives, and a drizzle of brown butter. Sprinkle top with an extra small pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper if desired.

 

YES.