Brown Butter Maple Squash Gratin

Name: Brown Butter Maple Squash Gratin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 2 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs total), peeled, mandolined to 1/8 inch; 6 tbsp unsalted butter, browned; 1 1/4 cups heavy cream; 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (Grade A amber); 1 1/2 cups gruyère, grated; 8-10 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, grated; Kosher salt, to taste; Black pepper, to taste; Fresh nutmeg, to taste

10 minutes ago

2 min read

A thin-layered butternut squash gratin in brown butter and maple, finished with gruyère.

By: HF Kitchen

There's a week in October when the market stalls turn almost entirely orange and gold, and squash stops being an ingredient and starts being the whole conversation. This is the dish that answers for it—sliced squash, thin enough to layer like a terrine, bound in brown butter and a little maple, restrained rather than sweet. It bakes slowly, the way the good side dishes always do, and it holds its shape when you cut into it, which is more than you can say for most of what's on the table by then.

Brown Butter Maple Squash Gratin

Before You Start

Use a mandoline for even 1/8" squash slices — uneven thickness is the most common failure point here, raw in the center while the edges go to mush. Brown the butter before you assemble the dish, not in it. And give the finished gratin its full 15 minutes to rest before slicing, or the layers won't hold. Total time from oven to table runs about an hour and fifteen to twenty minutes, worth factoring in if this is sharing oven space with the turkey.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8, as a side

2 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs total), peeled, mandolined to 1/8
6 tbsp unsalted butter, browned
1¼ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (Grade A amber)
1½ cups gruyère, grated [→ cheese grater, Wayfair Canada]
8–10 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
Kosher salt, black pepper, fresh nutmeg

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brown the butter in a light-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until nutty and amber, 5–6 minutes. Cool slightly.
Whisk browned butter with cream, maple, garlic, sage, salt, pepper, and a few gratings of nutmeg.
Layer squash in a 9x13 dish, shingled — you'll land around 10–14 layers depending on the squash. Season in thirds: bottom, midpoint, top.
Pour the cream mixture evenly over the layers, pressing gently so it distributes.
Cover tightly with foil and bake 25–30 minutes.
Remove the foil, top with gruyère, and bake uncovered 20–25 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden. For a deeper, photo-ready brown, finish under the broiler for the last 2–3 minutes, watching closely.
Rest 15 minutes before serving.

NOTES

This can be assembled a day ahead through step 4, refrigerated, and baked when needed — add 10 minutes to the covered bake time. Aged white cheddar makes a fine substitute for gruyère if you want something closer to the classic Thanksgiving register; it browns a little faster, so start checking early. If the custard looks loose right out of the oven, let it be — it firms as it cools.

SERVE WITH

Roast turkey and something sharp and high-acid alongside it — pickled shallots, or a bitter greens salad — to cut the richness. Transfer to a gratin platter and finish with a serving spoon for the table.

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