Enough peeled and cubed butternut squash to equal about 1 1/4 pounds

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh sage leaves, about 3 large

For Soup:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped small

1 rib celery, chopped small

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 to 4 cups water or broth

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon each dried sage leaves and rosemary, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with sides with aluminum foil. Lightly coat with some olive oil. Place cubes of butternut squash on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss with clean hands until squash is completely coated with olive oil. Arrange sage leaves over the squash. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Stir the squash and bake for another 10 minutes.  Serve as a side dish, stir into risotto or add to soup.

To make soup:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in soup pot. Add chopped onion, carrot and celery. Saute over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 more mintue. Add potatoes and 3 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Add all of the roasted squash (discard the fresh sage leaves that roasted in the pan with the squash).

Put half of soup in blender. Add sage leaves and rosemary. Puree until smooth. Pour back into pot, adding more water or broth if necessary for desired consistency. Stir in vinegar. Serve soup hot.

Roasted squash can be stored in the refrigerator so that it is ready to use within the next few days in soup or risotto. It's also good mixed into cooked wild rice as a nice side dish.

An immersion blender can be used right in the soup pot to puree soup to desired consistency.

Roasting butternut squash in cubes gives them a nice caramelized flavor and sometimes a bit of a crunch that you wouldn't get if you roasted the squash whole.