I’ve been meaning to post this since Thanksgiving, and now Christmas is in EIGHT days. My favorite part of a house bustling with food preparation for a group is actually the eating throughout the day. The focus for a holiday like Thanksgiving is typically the “big meal,” but I prefer all the other details – starting with a hot breakfast and leisurely coffee, snack buffets with hummus and veggies, and feeding people flavorful bites throughout the day. The two most-loved appetizers from this year were Balsamic Mushroom Tart with Walnut-Parsley Pesto, and this galette. There’s something about a flaky, buttery crust setting the stage for sweet butternut squash and sage to dance together. It didn’t last four minutes with my family.

This recipe comes from Ashley English’s decadent book, A Year of Pies. I use a little less olive oil than she calls for (as adjusted here), but otherwise it’s her simplicity. I’ve made this galette countless times, always to rave reviews.

All-Butter Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 + 1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
6 TBSP ice cold water

Butternut Squash-Sage Filling
1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 small – medium red onion, diced
3 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP fresh sage, finely diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP cold water

Start with making your pie dough, as it will need to chill in the fridge for at least an hour (and ideally longer). Using a pastry blender (or two forks if you don’t have one), mix flour, salt and cold butter together. Do this until it looks coarse, though there will still be some bits of butter visible.

Slowly drizzle in your ice cold water. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to clump together. Move the dough to a floured work surface, and fold until all of the flour is incorporated. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for use. Make sure you wait at least an hour to use. You can definitely make this a night or two ahead of time.

When  you’re ready to prepare the galette, get out your disk of dough and unwrap. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or Silpat, roll the dough out to your desired shape – I typically go with a circle or oval, as shown below. The dough should be thin, but not tearing.

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together your filling ingredients – cubed butternut squash, finely diced onion and sage, olive oil, shredded cheddar, salt and pepper. Toss so squash is evenly coated with olive oil, herbs and S+P.

Evenly spread out the butternut squash-sage filling, leaving about 2 inches all the way around the edge clear. Pat down the filling so it is even on the dough. Fold the dough border up over the filling, overlapping edges and pressing it in place.

Whisk the egg yolk and water together. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the wash over the dough edge. Transfer the parchment paper/Silpat to a large, rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 40 – 45 minutes at 375, until the squash is tender and crust is golden. Cool the galette for 30+ minutes before cutting. Eat, and immediately put this recipe back in menu planning rotation!