Yes! Spicy. Just a little though.
I’m so glad I discovered how well butternut roasts in the oven. It is such an easy side to prepare for a meal — cut in half, season, 35 minutes in the oven, very little prep time — they’re just awesome! Most especially the little ones, they make it easy to plan portions for serving.
Earlier on I would place the half portions cut side down while baking because I thought it was helping to keep the moisture in. It probably does a little. I don’t know for sure. For this experiment I roasted the halves cut side up because I wanted the seasoning I added it to stay on. They turned out just as moist and soft. They didn’t dry as badly as I thought they would.
I used the following:
Salt
Black pepper
Chilli flakes
Thyme
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Then I drizzled a bit of olive oil on top and placed in the oven (uncovered) at 180°C for 35 minutes
So hubby wasn’t around for this one but my brother was visiting. I served him the butternut with fried chicken. I asked him to rate the butternut alone.
Brother Rating:
NO! That rating has nothing to do with me being his sister (^_^) And that is easy to prove, just try it yourself, it’s actually pretty good. If you do, post a photo and tag me on Twitter or Instagram with @pendolamama
Just a quick side note, when you pick the butternut just keep in mind that it will shrink in size when baking.
Enjoy!