[Brunch Menu] [Recipe] "It's So Basically Fall" Butternut Squash Hash and Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Brunch, perhaps even boozy or bubbly brunch, is a New York tradition-- one that makes sense.  It's always later than I would prefer, but there are eggs and bacon and pancakes and waffles and all of their exotic mutations.  Getting a large brunch table together, though-- that's a different story.

Which led me to throw my first ever brunch party-- also an excuse to showcase some of my favorite autumn flavors (so much pumpkin!) and crack open a few bottles of champagne (topped with peach nectar for some tasty bellinis).  It didn't hurt that the football games were on the TV (my way of convincing the guys to come over), either.  More than a few "we're so basic" groans and/or jokes were tossed around.

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.
― Bliss Carman

"Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" Breakfast Potatoes
A recipe by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman)

Breakfast potatoes with a kick, the perfect way to wake up.

Ingredients
5 pounds red potatoes, roughly chopped/diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  In a large Dutch oven (yes, there are that many potatoes involved), toss together the potatoes, garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, and some kosher salt and pepper.

3.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, flipping the potatoes two or three times.
4.  Raise the heat to 500 degrees and bake until crisp and brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
5.  Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper, as necessary, before serving.

"It's So Basically Fall" Butternut Squash Hash
A recipe inspired by Darby's Cafe and featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

I am obsessed with butternut squash-- plus, I knew it would be fairly easy to find a recipe that I could prepare at least half-vegetarian (for my vegetarian guests) starring this fall staple.  This recipe was perfect (and I made it even more "basically fall" by adding caramelized Brussels sprouts, which I can never get enough of), and the homemade sage sausage is worth the extra effort (though certainly you can buy some ready-made sage sausage at your local farmers' market to save yourself some time).

Butternut Squash Hash - Ingredients 
1 butternut squash (or substitute any winter squash, like acorn, enough to equal about 3 cups)
1 pound Brussels sprouts
Olive oil, for drizzling
8 ounces rosemary sausage (recipe below)
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
Eggs, cooked to order, for serving      
Cranberry-ginger chutney, to garnish (recipe below)

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.  Blanch them in a salted pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes, until bright green, then remove from the water.  Mix the blanched Brussels sprouts in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt.
3.  While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash.  Distribute evenly in a new baking pan and drizzle lightly with oil.  Bake in an oven heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit until soft to the touch, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove and cool.

While the vegetables are aroastin' (and if you're not planning on keeping the hash vegetarian), we make rosemary sausage from scratch:

Rosemary Sausage - Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Rosemary Sausage - Directions

Mix the pork with the fennel, garlic, sage, salt, pepper, and rosemary well by hand.
* Note: You can definitely make these the night before and keep overnight in Tupperware.

4.  Cook the rosemary sausage in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, stirring often, until browned.

5.  Add the apples, onion, and peppers.  Cook, stirring regularly, for 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the squash.  Saute until the squash is lightly browned, 1 to 2 more minutes.

If chutney is your thing, follow these instructions:

Cranberry-Ginger Chutney (Optional) - Ingredients

1 cup fresh cranberries (can also be substituted with blueberries)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cranberry-Ginger Chutney (Optional) - Directions

In a medium pot, boil the cranberries and 1 cup water until the berries start to pop, about 5 minutes.  Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the sugar, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, and salt, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

6.  Cook eggs separately as desired.
7.  Plate the squash hash, drizzle with cranberry-ginger chutney, and top with the eggs.

"It's So Basically Fall" Pumpkin Pancakes
A recipe by Ruth of Allrecipes.com

Presented with only one comment: #SoBasic

Just kidding-- two comments: #SoFluffy

My friend Pizza actually whipped these up and flipped them.  If I'm being honest (and as much as it pains me to admit this), they and the champagne were the real stars of the morning.
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients
1.  In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a separate bowl.  Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2.  Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat.  Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.