Holiday side or vegetarian entree: Roasted Squash and Apples with Aged Cheddar and Fresh Cranberries

When I arrive at my godmother’s house, she often greets me by handing me a little bowl of roasted chunky apples dotted with aged cheddar and toasted walnuts — an unsolicited and completely scrumptious snack that I accept into my hands like a bowl full of love.

The other evening I found myself craving this dish (or love?) of hers, so I decided to turn it into a legitimate sheet pan dinner. It has a few more ingredients, but it’s still just as simple, comforting and delicious. Roasted cauliflower, butternut squash and apples provide the foundation, with bursts of flavor from red onion, garlic and fresh cranberries that ooze their jeweled tartness into the dish like a drizzle of aged balsamic. Crumbled aged cheddar — choose a crumbly variety, such as Kerigold Aged Cheddar — and toasted walnuts are the final touch.

Serve this over creamy rosemary polenta, over salad greens or simply spooned into a snack bowl and handed to someone with love. For the cheddar, choose

Roasted Squash, Cauliflower and Apples with Aged Cheddar and Fresh Cranberries

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1-inch cubes

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh cracked pepper

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced into tenths

½ cup whole fresh cranberries

2/3 cup walnut halves

2 ounces aged white cheddar, crumbled into bite-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 475 degrees.

On a large sheet pan, toss together the butternut squash, cauliflower florets, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper with your hands and spread out evenly in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes.