I’m going to state this up front.  This pizza is fancy, and it deserves a better pizza crust than what I have to offer.  I have made gluten-free pizza crust from scratch and it was not much better than the gluten-free mix, so I just use the mix when I want a pizza. The mix works just fine for junk food  like pineapple and ham pizza.  If you roll it out nice and thin, it disappears into the earthy deliciousness of a caramelized onion, potato and goat cheese pizza.  This pizza though, this one would really like to have a good crust.  So if you know how to make a good pizza crust, gluten-free or conventional, knock yourself out with this pizza.  I do not personally care enough about pizza to spend time on it.  I now have a good gluten free pizza recipe.  To see it click HERE.  I also recommend making the exactly this dish as a beautifully arranged and perfectly seasoned gratin of roasted butternut squash with sage (no crust and possibly no cheese).  It will be just as satisfying to me and it will take a fraction of the time and cost.  This recipe is adapted  from Chez Panisse Vegetables which Silvi and I both cook from A LOT.  It is a beautiful book and well worth owning.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIZZA WITH SAGE

• Pizza dough for 1 pizza (optional in my opinion)
• 1 butternut squash
• Olive Oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese (optional in my opinion)
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese (optional in my opinion)
• 12 sprigs of parsley
• 20 sage leaves
• juice of 1/2 lemon (don’t skip this!)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Peel and seed the butternut squash.  I find it easiest if I slice it half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and then peel it.
3. Slice the two halves crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices.  You will end up with half circles and C shapes.
4. Lay the slices out in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking tray.  Brush the tops of the squash slices with more oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake the squash slices until they are soft and the undersides are golden.  If you are making a pizza you can start assemble it while you wait
6. Roll out the dough and place it on a pizza tin or stone.  I used the bottom of a spring-form cake pan.
7. Mince the garlic, combine it with 1/4 cup olive oil and spread it onto the pizza crust.  If you are not making a pizza use half as much oil, combine it with the minced garlic and spread it around the bottom of a pie tin, gratin or some other pretty, shallow, round baking dish.
8. Sprinkle the cheese onto the crust.  
9. When the squash is done, arrange the pieces attractively on the pizza crust or in your pretty baking dish.  If you like, sprinkle some cheese amongst the layers of squash…or not.
10. Turn the heat up and bake the pizza or squash gratin for another 10 minutes.
11. While the pizza or gratin is baking, chop the parsley very finely and fry the sage leaves briefly in hot olive oil.  Drain the sage leaves  on a paper towel and reserve the sage flavoured oil in the pan to fry something else in later!
12. When the pizza or gratin is done garnish it with parsley, fried sage and the juice of 1/2 lemon.  Don’t skip the lemon, it is genius!