Chef John's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2 . Stage

Start the soup: Drizzle olive oil into large roasting pan. Add onion, carrots, garlic cloves, and a big pinch of salt; toss until vegetables are coated in oil. Place squash halves onto the chopped vegetables with the cut sides facing up. Sprinkle squash with additional salt.

3 . Stage

Roast in the preheated oven until squash is tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow vegetables to cool a bit.

4 . Stage

While the vegetables are cooling, make the brown butter: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When butter foams and starts to turn golden brown, reduce the heat to low. When butter turns from golden to a light, nutty brown, remove from the heat and immediately stir in sage leaves.

5 . Stage

Finish the soup: Scoop out squash flesh and place into a large stockpot with remaining roasted vegetables. Stir in chicken broth, brown butter mixture, and maple syrup. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and slowly simmer to blend flavors, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the heat.

6 . Stage

Blend with an immersion blender until very smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Pass mixture through a strainer to remove any remaining fibrous bits.

7 . Stage

If soup seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth. Stir in cider vinegar, a pinch of salt if needed, and cayenne pepper. Garnish each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche and chopped chives. Chef John