Stuffed Squash with Sausage and Gruyere Cheese and Red Grape Waldorf Salad

For the squash:
2 acorn squash, about 1 lb. each
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. pork sausage
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. sherry
4 c. fresh spinach
1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
3/4 c. Gruyere cheese, shredded
balsamic vinegar
1/2 t. rubbed sage

For the salad:
1 c. red grapes
1/2 c. celery, sliced thinly
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped, toasted
1/4 c. sour cream
2 t. honey
1/2 t. lemon juice
pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Slice each squash in half horizontally; scoop out the seeds. Cut a thin slice off of the bottom of each half to allow squash to sit flat.
Drizzle squash flesh with oil; sprinkle with salt. Place squash halves on a baking sheet, flesh side down. Roast squash 15 minutes. Flip squash and roast 10 minutes more, until the flesh is tender and the edges begin to brown and caramelize. Remove squash from oven. Heat broiler to high and place an oven rack 2 inches below broiler.
Heat 1 T. oil in a skillet. Add sausage to the skillet.
Saute sausage, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon, sprinkle sage over meat and cook until meat is browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent about 3 minutes.
Deglaze with sherry; simmer mixture until most of the liquid is evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach to skillet; stir and toss until spinach leaves are wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in bread crumbs and 1/2 c. of the Gruyere.
Scoop 1 c. of the sausage mixture into each squash half.
Sprinkle remaining Gruyere over sausage mixture. Return stuffed squash to the baking sheet.
Broil until Gruyere melts, 2-3 minutes. Remove squash from oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar lightly over each squash half.

For the salad:
Combine grapes, celery, and walnuts in a bowl. Whisk together sour cream, honey, lemon juice, and salt. Toss with grape mixture.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:
Blake thinks I am crazy making him try all these things with squash. But he didn't think I was crazy once he tasted it. It is so good. We even ate it the next day. My squash took longer to cook than the directions say. I would just test the squash with a fork to see if it is tender in the thickest part. I think mine could have cooked a little longer but they were still good. Acorn squash doesn't have a ton of flavor. I would almost liken it unto a potato. So don't be a hater. Try it. The salad reminds me of family reunions when I was little. It made me happy.