This time of year, I crave a hot, buttery butternut or acorn “squash mash” — think of it as an alternative to mashed potatoes. It’s comforting, filling and healthy to boot.

But these hard squash are so difficult to cut through that many people don’t cook them, or they only buy them already cubed. It is hard to get your knife through in one slice. Often the knife gets stuck halfway.

So, I decided a few years ago to see if I could “hack” the winter squash cooking process.

I bought a whole acorn squash and placed it in the oven without any prep. I didn’t wash or cut it — just removed the paper sticker from the outside and placed it on the middle rack of my preheated 400-degree oven with foil underneath to catch any drippings.

And then I walked away for a little more than an hour.

When I opened the oven door and checked on the squash, it was still intact but no longer hard. When I pressed on the outside shell, it felt softer, like an almost ripe pear. I turned off the heat, closed the oven and let the squash cool in the residual heat of the oven for another hour, but generally 20 minutes works just as well.

Depending on the size of your squash, you may need to cook it more or less, but it is almost impossible to overcook. If a paring knife can be inserted easily into the center, it is done.

I carefully removed the squash to a cutting board. With a long serrated (bread) knife, I sliced the squash through the middle with ease. The truth is that I could have used almost any knife because it was cooked through and the skin was no longer tough.

I scooped out and discarded the seeds, then scooped the silky, steaming squash into a bowl. I added a bit of salt and dried sage and a healthy knob of butter, and mashed it with a fork. It was one of the best “mashed anythings” I had ever eaten!

The squash, roasted whole and uncut, had so much more flavor than one that was roasted in chunks or boiled — much as bone-in meat has more flavor than boneless meat.

I couldn’t believe how easy and stress-free the squash was to make. Now, I look forward to the process, instead of dreading it. In addition to acorn squash, I cook every kind of squash that I can find, from spaghetti squash to butternut, Hubbard to Delicata, using this method. They roast perfectly every time.

If you are watching your carbs or just want to eat more vegetables, using spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute, this is one hack you can’t pass up.

For a more sophisticated version of squash mash — perhaps for the Thanksgiving table — brown the butter before mixing it in with the cooked squash.

Or season it any way you like. Try it sweetened with maple syrup, nutmeg and cinnamon, or sprinkled with crisp bacon and fried shallots. Add dried cranberries, goat cheese and pecans, or top it with marshmallows.

Squash straddles both the sweet and the savory, and shines with almost any of your favorite flavor combinations.