Hasselback vegetables gives them more surface area to crisp up which we love. Plus, these can easily be made vegan by using a non-dairy cheese alternative.
Hasselback-ing vegetables is one of the best techniques to apply onto starchy vegetables and this hasselback squash recipe is no exception! This technique gives the squash more surface area, meaning more crispy layers to tuck into to and perfect for liberally applying marinades and butters into every layer.
A top tip we love to use when hasselback-ing is using chopsticks on either side of the vegetable to use as a guide. It will ensure you don't cut all the way through by accident and produce even depth slices.
This is perfect served as a main dish, or alternatively can serve 8 people as a side dish.
goats' cheese, crumbled (or vegan alternative, see intro)
1Tbsp.
chopped roasted hazelnuts
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Peel the squash - a Y-shaped peeler is best for this. Halve lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Place cut-side down on a board. Working one half at a time, make slices across the width of the squash, about 5mm (1/2in) apart. You want to slice deep into the squash, but not all the way through.
Step 2Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Lay on the squash halves, with the cuts facing up. Mix oil and maple syrup with some seasoning. Drizzle over the squash halves, working into the cuts a little. Lay thyme sprig on each.
Step 3Roast for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hr, until tender but not collapsing (you should be able to push a knife through the thickest part).
Step 4Sprinkle over the cheese and hazelnuts and return to oven for 15min. Transfer to a warm serving plate and serve.
Get ahead
Prepare to end of step 3 up to 3hr ahead. Cool. Complete recipe to serve.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
