Add the cubed butternut squash to a large stock pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, and cook until butternut squash is fork-tender. You should be able to easily mash the squash with a fork, about 10 minutes of cooking time once boiling. Remove the butternut squash from the pot and strain using a colander. Empty the cooked butternut squash into a mixing bowl and mash with the back of a fork. Don’t worry about leaving little bits/clumps! Set aside.

While the butternut squash is cooking, add ½ tbsp butter to a small fry pan and cook over medium-low heat until glistening. Add the sage leaves and turn up the temperature to medium-high heat. Cook until the leaves are fried, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the sage leaves from the heat and place on a little plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set the sage aside.

Next, we will be using two burners for the preparation of the risotto. Pour the 5 cups of chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and keep warm. Next to the broth, heat remaining 2 ½ tbsp of unsalted butter on medium heat until melted and glistening (in either a large dutch oven or a large stock pot).

Add minced onion, herbs de provence, salt, and pepper to the butter. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the arborio rice, and mix to combine. Cook until the onions start to brown and the rice toasts a bit - about 5-7 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of your pot to break up any caked bits.

Add the white wine and cook, stirring frequently, until it has evaporated completely. Add the mashed butternut squash and stir. Crumble the fried sage and add it to the pot now. Then, start adding the hot chicken stock. I start with adding about ⅓ of the stock. I use a ladle for this part, and find it's really easy this way. Once you add the first bit of stock, cook while stirring, until the stock has been absorbed by the rice. Then, add about a ladle or ½ a cup at a time and repeat the process (cooking until absorbed, while stirring), until all broth is absorbed. A very important tip: make sure you are scraping the bottom of your pan with a wooden spoon the entire time to break up the bits at the bottom. In total, this should take about 30 minutes.

Once all of the stock has been faded and absorbed, take the risotto off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Taste, and add salt and pepper as necessary. Serve immediately.