Now with comfortably cooler temperatures, I can turn on the oven again without worrying about sweating away half my body weight. I picked up a humongous kabocha squash (also called Japanese pumpkin) for $2.29 each from Trader Joe’s big bin o’ squashes to roast for a side dish.
The next day, I made breakfast home fries replacing the usual potatoes with the leftover roasted kabocha cubes. It’s a fun, seasonal switch up. Kabocha is naturally sweeter than butternut squash and the flavor is like a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato. Toss in aromatics like leeks, onions and garlic, and you got yourself one tasty breakfast.
The only thing is, it didn’t crisp up quite as much as I would have liked but I also didn’t use very much oil and I was worried the kabocha would turn out too dry. Next time, I’ll try it with more oil and see if I can get it a bit more crispy.
Kabocha Squash Home Fries
Serves 2
1 teaspoon or more coconut oil
2 cups roasted kabocha squash cubes*
1/4 cup chopped leeks, white and a little of the green part
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onion and garlic and stirring frequently, cook until translucent. Add the kabocha cubes in a single layer and let cook, flipping only occasionally until browned on all sides. Season generously with salt and pepper.
* To make roasted kabocha squash cubes
You can leave the peel on, it’s totally edible and will soften after cooking. I normally leave it on as it saves a step, just give it a good wash. I’ll peel it if there’s a lot of blemishes and/or bumps as that just doesn’t look appetizing to me.
Cut the kabocha into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss with coconut oil and salt, then spread out in a single layer on a baking pan. Roast at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, flip over and continue roasting for 10-15 minutes until tender.
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WOW … never thought to use kabocha that way. It’s my favourite squash and I never peel it either. Thanks for the recipe!
It’s getting to be one of my favorites too. :-)
Oh yum! It doesn’t matter if they qualify as “fries” or not… No matter what you call them, it looks like a delicious dish! You really can’t go wrong with kabocha anyhow. :)
Kabocha is amazing, I’ve loved it in all the dishes I’ve tried so far.
Seriously! I daresay it’s even better than plain old pumpkin… But I wouldn’t want to cause a rush on kabocha now. I’d rather keep them all to myself. ;)
Kabocha is definitely up there in my favourite squash list, but I’ve never tried it for breakfast. Now I’ll definitely have to give it a go – it looks both healthy and indulgent, which is great!
Never thought to try it for breakfast either until the one day I opened the fridge and the kabocha was calling my name. :-)
=I love home fries and I love squash so this seems like a truly excellent idea.