This is one of the sides I came up for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I was in Trader Joes, as usual, and came across already peeled and cut up butternut squash. I am quite lazy and usually never pick up a whole one- so when I saw a package of organic cut up squash- I was thrilled.

I usually always make some kind of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. There is also some kind of sweet potato or butternut squash dish. I wanted to combine the potato and butternut squash and come up with one dish.

Usually for a mashed dish, potatoes are boiled and then mashed. I decided to roast pieces of butternut squash, potatoes and garlic with some olive oil, salt and pepper instead.

Once the vegetables were soft, I ran them through a food mill and added grated cheese, half and half and fresh sage. I baked the dish once more with some grated cheese on top. It was simply delicious! Roasting the vegetables instead of boiling them gave the dish a more intense flavor. It was creamy and the sharp cheddar cheese and sage made it taste like a fabulous holiday side.

I was thrilled with this concoction- please try it for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

• 1 pound cut up butternut squash (Trader Joes has it already cut and peeled)
• 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut up same size as the squash- about 2 inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, whole with skin
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a lined cookie sheet, add the squash, potatoes and garlic cloves. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or till the pieces are tender. Take out and let cool. Run the roasted mixture through a food mill or a potato ricer.
At this point the mixture can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

• 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided
• ½ cup half and half
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4 generous servings. Recipe can be doubles.

In a serving bowl, add the butternut squash and potato mixture. Add ½ cup cheese, half and half, salt and sage. Mix well and check for seasonings. Sprinkle remaining of the half cup cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.