Honeynut Squash Recipe

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Halve the honeynut squashes lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Pat the cut sides dry with a towel.

Brush the cut sides and outer skins with olive oil, then season evenly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place squash cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20–25 minutes, until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork and lightly caramelized on the edges.

For extra char, transfer the pan under a preheated broiler for 2–3 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning, to develop additional color and smoky notes. Remove from oven and let rest while preparing vinaigrette and garnish.

While squash roasts, char the shallot and red bell pepper. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until very hot and lightly smoking.

Brush the red pepper and shallot lightly with a little oil. Place them cut-side down (for shallot) and skin-side down (for pepper) in the hot pan. Cook without moving until deeply charred and blackened in spots, about 4–6 minutes for the pepper and 3–4 minutes for the shallot. Turn the pepper once if needed to char other spots; the goal is smoky flavor.

Transfer the charred pepper to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container for 5 minutes to steam (this makes peeling easier). Let the shallot cool slightly as well.

Peel the pepper, remove seeds and stem, and roughly chop the flesh. Peel and roughly chop the shallot.

In a small blender or using an immersion blender, combine the charred pepper, shallot, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, smoked paprika, kosher salt and black pepper. Pulse to combine into a coarse purée.

With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil to emulsify into a glossy vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasoning—add up to 1 more teaspoon honey if you prefer sweeter, or a splash more vinegar for brightness.

Transfer vinaigrette to a bowl and set aside at room temperature so flavors meld.

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 4–6 minutes. Transfer to a towel, rub to remove loose skins if desired, and roughly chop once cooled.

In the same skillet, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced country ham and thyme leaves and sauté briefly until the ham is just crisp at the edges, about 1–2 minutes per side. Remove ham to a paper towel–lined plate to drain and cool slightly.

When ham is cool enough, tear or chop into bite-size pieces. Combine chopped hazelnuts with the ham pieces and season with fine sea salt. Toss to combine and set aside.

Place each roasted honeynut squash half on a serving plate, cut-side up. Spoon 1–1½ tablespoons of the charred vinaigrette over each squash half, letting some run into the cavity.

Scatter the country ham and toasted hazelnut mixture over the squash, distributing evenly between servings.

Top with a small handful (about 2 tablespoons) of microgreens or baby arugula per squash half, drizzle a little more vinaigrette if desired, and finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt for texture.

Serve immediately with toasted country bread or baguette slices on the side for spreading any remaining vinaigrette and ham; pass extra vinaigrette at the table.