What can you make with a butternut squash?

A butternut squash sits on the counter looking like a dumbbell with ambitions. Most people buy one, admire it for a week and then wonder how to get inside. The good news: once it is open, it is one of the most obliging vegetables there is. It roasts, simmers, mashes and blends, and it takes sage, chilli, cheese, brown butter and citrus equally well.

Getting into it without drama

The whole trick is stability. A round thing on a board rolls; a flat thing doesn't.

• Use a large, sharp knife. A blunt knife needs force, and force is when hands slip. If you are choosing one, our first-knife page helps.
• Cut off both ends so you have two flat faces.
• Separate the neck from the bulb where the shape changes. Now you have two manageable pieces, each standing on a flat end.
• Peel downwards with a sturdy vegetable peeler or the knife, following the curve, with the squash standing upright.
• Halve the bulb and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

If the skin is fighting you, microwave the whole squash for a few minutes, or roast it in halves with the skin on and scoop out the soft flesh afterwards. Many dishes don't need it peeled at all: roasted wedges keep their skin, which goes chewy and quite pleasant.

Roast or simmer?

This is the real choice, because the two methods give you different vegetables.

• Roasting concentrates the squash. It turns sweet, golden and slightly caramelised at the edges. Hot oven, a generous coat of oil, pieces spread out with space around them. Crowded trays steam rather than roast, which is the soggy-vegetable problem. It is ready when a knife slides in easily and the edges are brown.
• Simmering keeps it soft and mild. Good for soups and anything you plan to blend, where colour matters less than texture.

When in doubt, roast. Roasted squash can go into almost every dish below and will taste deeper for it.

Five directions for autumn

1. Soup

Soften onion in olive oil, add squash and enough stock to just cover, simmer until it collapses, then blend. It goes thick and velvety on its own; no cream needed (see creamy soup without cream). Finish with something sharp or crunchy: toasted seeds, a swirl of chilli oil, a little lemon.

2. Risotto

Roast half the squash in cubes and keep it for the end; cook the other half into the rice with the stock so it melts and turns the risotto golden. Sage fried in butter on top, Parmesan stirred through.

3. Pasta sauce

Blend roasted squash with a splash of pasta water, a spoonful of ricotta or mascarpone and plenty of Parmesan. Toss with short pasta that holds sauce, then finish with brown butter and sage, or with chilli and lemon zest if you want it brighter.

4. Roasted wedges as a main

Big wedges, skin on, roasted with chilli flakes and a little honey or maple syrup. Serve on a smear of yoghurt with herbs, toasted seeds and a squeeze of lime. With lentils or a grain alongside, it is dinner.

5. Toast and salads

Mash roasted squash with salt and olive oil, spread it on toasted sourdough, top with ricotta and pepper. Or toss roasted cubes with bitter leaves, a sharp dressing and toasted hazelnuts. Bitter and sweet do each other favours.

Don't throw away the seeds

Rinse them, pat them dry, toss with oil and salt, and roast until they crackle and turn golden. They are a garnish for all of the above and a snack while you cook.