PPREHEAT the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

SCRUB the pumpkin with a stiff vegetable scrub brush to remove any dirt or debris. 

PAT the pumpkin dry.

PEEL the pumpkin. Place it on the cutting board with the stem facing up. Grip the stem with your non-dominant hand and hold the vegetable peeler (*see notes) in the other hand. Starting at the top, use the vegetable peeler to peel in a downward motion.

STOP and ROTATE the pumpkin when needed. Continue in a straight path around the pumpkin until it is peeled. Peel the top on the curves and then peel the bottom.

CUT OFF the stem. It may be easy to cut it right off in a straight chop. Or you may need to cut around the stem as if you were prepping it to carve.

CUT the pumpkin in half from the top (where the stem was) to the bottom.

REMOVE the pumpkin seeds and any hanging strings. Place them in the reserved bowl.

SLICE the pumpkin halves into crescent pieces. If the pumpkin slices are still stringy, cut a thin layer off the slice with a paring knife. Then cut the pieces into about 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large bowl or zip-top bag.

ADD the melted butter to the pumpkin and stir to coat it. Season with salt and pepper (or your other seasonings).

SPREAD the cubed pumpkin in a single layer in the prepared sheet pan. Generously sprinkle the pumpkin with kosher salt and black pepper. Or whatever seasoning you want.

ROAST in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice for even cooking. Check periodically, especially if you start to smell cooked pumpkin. The pumpkin should be lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork.

REMOVE the pumpkin cubes from the oven and turn the oven off.

COOL the pumpkin fully or partially, depending on the salad recipe. Then toss the roasted cubes into your salad.