Boasting of Roasting

Excuse the title, but it aptly describes the post I intend to write. The highlights of the past few weeks of my cooking involve roasting. Last week I roasted a chicken, a la Robin, and it turned out perfectly, but we all know how to do that. I then made soup from said roasted chicken which I am still eating ... it just won't go away. 

The slightly more exotic roasting escapade took place two weeks ago. I roasted butternut squash. It was worth it just for the smell that came out of my oven. Let me give you some details. 

I was planning on cutting up my squash into cubes, but I couldn't seem to do this effectively. Maybe my knife sucks or I was being dense, but pieces of squash kept flying this way and that and I was sure I was about to cut off a finger. I found it much more manageable to cut it into thin half moons, so they looked sort of like potato chips. 

After the squash was cut up, I tossed it in a generous amount of hazelnut oil. I also coarsely chopped some fresh sage and tossed that in there as well. I spread the squash into a baking dish and put it in a 400 degree oven. I roasted it for about 25 mins, turning the slices occasionally, until they were brown and caramelized on the outside. 

It was really, really, good.

Speaking of roasting, though of another sort, Oliver and I watched the Alfred Smith memorial dinner roast on the internet the other night. It's some benefit were the presidential candidates roast one another. You should look it up if you get a chance. Now after the third debate, I no longer like John McCain at all. But the man is funny. I hate to say it, but he's funnier than Obama. If anything, this admission proves I remain somewhat objective about the election.