Preheat oven to 425º Fahrenheit.

Prepare your acorn squash: carefully slice all the way down the middle of the acorn squash. Remove stem first if you have trouble. Once halved, slice a thin piece off the round bottom of each half. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and membranes; discard or reserve to roast later. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pats.

Place cut side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes then remove from oven and place a pat of butter and drizzle 1 tablespoon maple syrup in the cavity of each squash.

Continue roasting another 25-35 minutes or until flesh is very soft and easily forced with a fork, basting every 10 minutes or so. To baste, pull out oven rack with baking sheet and, with a pastry brush, baste the top edge of the squash with the melted maple butter, then return to oven. When acorn squash is roasted, the flesh is soft, and the surface is browned with a few dark brown spots, remove from oven, let stand a few minutes, and serve.