Browned Butter Sage Bread Crumbs on Roasted Butternut Squash

It was 3:30 a.m. and I woke up with more ease than I ever thought possible for the middle of the night. It only interrupted a very interesting dream in which A Cozy Kitchen and I were making Curry Chicken Salad. Knowing I’d be traveling all day and landing just in time for the beginning of the Saveur Awards party, I opted for comfy/warm clothes. I made a few last-minute shoe decisions to my suitcase before Daniel and I made our way to the airport in a zombie state.

It only took three bomb-sniffing dogs to move me to TSA pre-check and a quick walk through a metal detector without removing my shoes, computer, jacket, and dignity. Which is lucky because my gate was on the other side of PDX and I made it with two minutes to go.

Taking off, the beautiful sky below me set against an Oregon sunrise and clouds looked like focaccia bread that had me swooning. I finished the whole season of Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix by the time we touched down in Minneapolis for my connecting flight. The plane was tiny and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

One big-ole-hug with my friend, Sam (fellow Saveur Finalist! Check her out at Frosting and Fettuccini) and a quick makeup session on the floor of our hotel room before we made our way out to the Opening Ceremonies to which I wear heels for the first time in years. I ran into my other friend, Ashley (another fellow Saveur Finalist!) and we got to chatting and spent a very fun, cold, woman-talk session out on a rooftop with her producer, Julie.

If I were to press fast forward through this night, you would see flash glances of us all in different bars and restaurants in Memphis, eating biscuit beignets and generally schmoozing with each other in an effort to soak it all in. We are here. We have made it here.

I’m going to continue to press fast forward to the night of the ceremonies because that’s what we’re all here for. We don’t need to know about a 2-hour nervous, sleepless nap I took in bed with Sam as we chatted about all the things. I don’t need to tell you about the fried chicken and sweet tea we had or the cooking competition in which I made browned butter croutons.

We walked into the beautiful Clayborn Temple by 6 p.m. that night, dressed a little fancier than most days and the feeling of my nerves was palpable. I wanted so badly to eat the macarons that I placed on my plate for the evening. But, I could barely swallow the gravity of the night and so I went foodless until it was all over.

When my name was announced for Readers’ Choice Best Photography Winner, I don’t know if I actually had the mental power to understand what exactly was happening in that moment.  And, when I gave my acceptance speech, words came out in a quick and thoughtful fashion. Like I had planned it all along. However, I completely winged it—proof being that I forgot to thank Daniel.

Here I am, back to real life. Back to sharing recipes and my life with my very special group of readers. My happy place. Once again, I am blown away by the number of people who showed up for me in very big ways. I thank you with all my heart for being here, for supporting my journey, and for seeing me in a world where we are all drowning in food blogs. I won’t soon forget your kindness.

However, I can repay you in a recipe for Browned Butter Sage Breadcrumbs on Roasted Butternut Squash. I prefer a lovely butter that has been browned with fresh sage. This is generously poured over the top of some day-old crispy bread. Any bread, really, that is of the artisanal fashion. Sauté to your desired crispness. A great way to serve these croutons is over some butternut squash. I’ve had them over butter beans and wilted kale. There really is no wrong way to eat them.

Browned Butter Sage Bread Crumbs on Roasted Butternut Squash

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Take a walk into some buttery and warm bread crumbs, covering roasted butternut squash. 

• Author: Karlee Flores
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cloves

pinch of salt

1 loaf artisan bread (5 cups of crumbs)

1/4 cup browned butter

6-8 fresh sage leaves

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Slice and cube the butternut squash into pieces the size of dice. Drizzle olive oil on to squash pieces and sprinkle with the spices and salts. Toss together on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. 

Slice the bread and pulse in food processor until they are small pea-sized pieces or smaller. Work in sections if the food processor is too small.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the fresh sage leaves and continue to cook until the butter has turned brown. Add the bread crumbs and continue to cook another 5-8 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the butternut squash and serve immediately. 

Keywords: bread, crouton, sage