Sweet potatoes and yams are a bit hard to come by in the Puget Sound region. There are some for sale at the Bainbridge Island Farmers market, and there's at least one farm in Whatcom county that sells them, but otherwise you're mostly out of luck.
So rather than the standard Thanksgiving fare of candied yams, I needed to come up with something else we could candy to at least approximate that signature dish. While our version doesn't use marshmallows, and it does take a little work to get it in the oven, it is well worth the effort and I'd say this was almost as good as candied sweet potatoes and a lot healthier.
Candied Acorn Squash
Start by cutting off each end of the acorn squash about half an inch to an inch from the tip.
Slice the squash into rings, about 1-2 inches thick.
Grease up a baking sheet or baking dish and preheat the oven to 350.
Bake the squash for 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 1-2 Tbsp of butter and stir in 4-5 Tbsp of brown sugar. You can also add just a bit of cinnamon.
When the squash is just about done, turn the heat up on the stove and stir the glaze constantly.
Remove the squash from the oven and baste it with the glaze.
Return the squash to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve and enjoy.
Patricia's Notes: This was quite tasty. You don't peel the acorn squash before you serve it, so the presentation is quite dramatic with the yellow flesh and green rind. You can actually eat the rind, though I prefer not to. The flavor was actually very similar to candied sweet potatoes, though the texture was a bit different (expectedly). I will definitely make this again.