Roast pumpkin, sage and brown butter risotto: the recipe that makes October worth it

Every October I am asked, by someone who has just bought a pumpkin for reasons they cannot fully explain, what to do with it. The honest answer is that most carving pumpkins are watery and dull and should be composted after Halloween without guilt. But a proper eating squash, a crown prince with its steel-grey skin or a dense orange onion squash, is one of the great vegetables of the British autumn, and this is the dish I make with it most.

The trick is to roast the squash hard before it goes anywhere near the rice. Boiled or steamed squash in a risotto is sweet mush; roasted squash, with its edges caught and caramelised, brings depth and a slight bitterness that balances the richness of the dish. The brown butter at the end, nutty and faintly toffee-like, is a small amount of extra effort for a disproportionate reward. Serves four generously.

Ingredients: 1 crown prince or onion squash (about 1.2kg), peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm chunks; 4 tbsp olive oil; 100g unsalted butter; 20 sage leaves; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 320g carnaroli or arborio rice; 150ml dry white wine; about 1.2 litres hot vegetable or chicken stock; 80g parmesan or a vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve; salt and black pepper; a squeeze of lemon.

Method. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan). Toss the squash with 3 tbsp of the oil, a good pinch of salt and plenty of pepper, spread it on a large tray in a single layer and roast for 30-35 minutes, turning once, until soft and dark at the edges. Set aside about a third of the best-looking pieces for the top; mash the rest roughly with a fork.

While the squash roasts, make the brown butter. Put 60g of the butter in a small pan over a medium heat and let it foam, then keep going, swirling, until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown and it smells of hazelnuts, about 4 minutes. Drop in 12 of the sage leaves for 20 seconds until they crisp, then pour the lot into a bowl to stop it cooking. Chop the remaining sage finely.

Heat the remaining oil and 20g of butter in a wide, heavy pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and chopped sage and cook for a minute more. Tip in the rice and stir for two minutes until the grains are glossy and the edges turn translucent. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away almost completely.

Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before the next. After about 15 minutes, stir in the mashed squash. Keep going until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the risotto moves in a slow wave when you tilt the pan, 18-20 minutes in all. Take it off the heat, beat in the remaining 20g of butter, the parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, then cover and leave for two minutes. Taste for salt. Serve in warm bowls topped with the reserved squash, a spoon of brown butter, the crisp sage leaves and more cheese. A bitter leaf salad alongside is all it needs.