Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

Preheat oven to fan oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6

Roast the butternut squash, garlic and gnocchi: peel the butternut squash, trim the ends, cut in half and remove the seeds. Chop into squares, slightly larger than the gnocchi.

Tip into a large mixing bowl with the unpeeled garlic cloves, half the salt and pepper and 1 – 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Mix well, ensuring everything is coated in a thin layer of oil.

Transfer to a baking dish, spread out in an even layer, and cook in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and shred around 15 sage leaves.

Tip the onion and half the shredded sage into the mixing bowl with the gnocchi and the remaining seasoning. Mix well.

After 15 minutes, take the butternut squash out of the oven and add it to the mixing bowl. Mix everything well together and return to the baking tray. Shake the tray to ensure the gnocchi and vegetables are spread out evenly. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, but stir after 15 minutes.

Heat a small pan over a moderate heat and add the pumpkin seeds. Cook, stirring from time to time, for a few minutes, until the seeds smell nutty and are crispy. Tip out into a bowl and set aside.

Make the Roast Garlic, Chilli and Sage Brown Butter: melt the butter over a moderately high temperature and add around 10 whole sage leaves. Cook in the butter, turning once or twice, until crispy. This will only take a few minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen roll. Set aside.

Continue to heat the butter over a moderate heat until it turns medium brown in colour and smells nutty. Remove from the heat, pour into a small bowl and add the remaining shredded sage, chilli flakes and some sea salt and pepper. It may well fizz up. Set aside. 

When the squash and gnocchi have been cooking for 30 minutes, take out of the oven and remove the garlic cloves. Put the tray back in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Peel the garlic cloves, mash the flesh and add to the brown butter.

When the gnocchi and butternut squash are cooked, transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle over the garlic and sage brown butter. Top with the roast pumpkin seeds and fried, crispy sage leaves.

Serve: with a generous grating of parmesan cheese and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Fresh bread and a mixed salad are delicious served on the side.