Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cream and Candied Bacon

I made this Epicurious recipe for Thanksgiving and I think this is going on the menu every year. The candied bacon hazelnut bits are EVERYTHING! You'll want to put it on other things too.

I usually shy away from recipes with multiple components and techniques, especially for Thanksgiving. Some of the techniques I've never attempted before at home...also not a good idea for Thanksgiving. But, this recipe just appealed to me and it's the holidays after all.

The dish wouldn't be the same without the candied bacon-hazelnut. Unless you hate hazelnuts, I wouldn't substitute with another nut. Hazelnuts are what make the candied bits delicious.

Melting sugar from this...

to this.

Cooled candied bacon-hazelnut

All of my squashes were done roasting within 40-60 min, so check on them periodically so they don't get too soft. It's important for the large squash to keep its shape especially after you scoop out the flesh to make shells. You can see where one half of my large squash cracked/split

Also, my large squash gave up a good amount of liquid. This made my filling a little too wet and it leaked around the edges of the shells. So, start with less cream when mixing the filling and add more cream as needed depending on how much liquid your squashes have.

Combining filling ingredients (excluding chives)

Mixed filling with chives

I used Parmigiano-Reggiano which has strong flavor. But another type of Parmesan can save a bit of money.

Ready for a second bake

The only issue I had was with the whipped cream. I made the cream & cheese mixture the day before and chilled overnight so I could save time on Thanksgiving. The mixture was thick when I took it out on Thanksgiving to whip. It quickly overwhipped at medium-high speed and I didn't have any heavy cream left to try to save it. I didn't want to waste it, so I used it as a "butter" topping and dotted pieces of it on the tops with the bacon & hazelnuts.

Whipped cream mixture after overnight refrigeration

This is an indulgent dish with all the cream and cheese but great for dinner parties, holidays or special occasions. There aren't any special ingredients but it looks impressive!

My Rating (out of 5): 5

Twice-Baked Butternut Squash with Parmesan Cream and Candied Bacon
Source: Epicurious

Yield: Serves 6-8
Active time: 45 mins
Total time: 2 hours, 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 large (about 5 pounds) and 1 medium (about 3 1/2 pounds) butternut squash
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces), divided
• 3 strips bacon (about 3 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives, divided

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut both squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Transfer cut side down to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Poke outside of skin all over with a fork, then roast until flesh is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours for large squash and about 1 hour for medium squash.

Meanwhile, heat 1 cup cream in a medium pot over medium until just beginning to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in 1/4 cup cheese and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and chill until very cold, about 45 minutes (do not freeze).

Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Let cool, then finely chop.

Spread 3 Tbsp. sugar in a thin layer in the center of a medium dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, mostly undisturbed (it's ok to swirl pan gently to get sugar to melt evenly), until sugar melts and starts to turn light brown, about 6 minutes. Quickly stir in bacon and hazelnuts and cook, stirring, until coated and melted sugar is chestnut brown, about 1 minute more. Scrape onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread out to cool, then finely chop.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Using a spoon, scoop flesh out of large squash into a large bowl, leaving a 1/2" border around squash shell to help maintain its shape. Transfer large shells to a rimmed baking sheet; arrange a few pieces of crumpled foil around shells to keep them upright. Scoop flesh out of medium shells into same bowl (you should have 6 cups squash); discard medium shells. Using a potato masher or spatula, mix in salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. reserved bacon fat, and remaining 1 cup cream, 3/4 cup cheese, and 1 Tbsp. sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 Tbsp. chives. Divide filling between large squash shells, then create attractive swoops with a spoon. Bake squash until warmed through, 20–30 minutes.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, whip chilled cream to medium peaks. Chill until ready to use.

Dollop squash with whipped cream, then top with candied bacon bits and remaining 1 Tbsp. chives. Serve extra candied hazelnut-bacon bits on the side.

Do Ahead
Squash shells can be filled (not baked) 2 days ahead; cover and chill.