Sweet Potato Hash in Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

Serves 8 as a side
4 medium-large sweet potatoes
1-2 Tbsp. refined coconut oil or butter, melted
5 slices bacon, preferably nitrate-free, foraged pork (can sub beef or turkey bacon if you don’t eat pork)
1 tart large apple (ie. Granny Smith)
1/4 cup chives, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup cranberries (fresh or dried), chopped
1/3-1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 sprigs thyme, stems removed, chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. turmeric
For Squash
4 Acorn Squash
maple syrup, preferably Grade B
butter
Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the acorn squash and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and pulp. In a baking dish, arrange acorn squash, flesh-side up and add water about 1-2 inches deep in the pan (Keeps squash from burning). Melt some butter and drizzle over squash flesh. Then drizzle maple syrup over the squash flesh. Add a small pat of butter in the middle of each squash. Bake at 400F until fork tender. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Dice the potatoes into 1 in. cubes. In a bowl, coat the sweet potato cubes with melted coconut oil or butter. Arrange on a baking sheet and put them in the oven along with the squash. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. While the squash and sweet potatoes cook, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Once crisp, set bacon aside on a plate. Discard all but 2 tbsp. of bacon grease from the pan. After 20 minutes of baking, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, but let the acorn squash continue to cook until fork tender. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the bacon-greased skillet. Add in the celery, green onions, apple, thyme, cinnamon and turmeric. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until soft. Once the vegetables are softened, remove from heat and add chopped cranberries and pecans. Once the acorn squash is ready, pour off the butter/maple syrup liquid that has settled in the pits of the squash into the sauteed vegetable mixture. Arrange the squash on a platter and spoon the sauteed vegetables into the pits of the acorn squash. Serve warm.
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