You won’t often catch us wielding mallets in the kitchen, but cooking winter squash makes a pretty good case for hammer time.

The sunny gourd’s in season now, but their tough skin coupled with its awkward shapes makes larger ones a pain to cut.

One way is to lay the squash on a damp kitchen towel to hold it steady. Stick the tip of a sharp kitchen knife or cleaver into the squash near the top and work your way down the side with a rocking motion. Do the same down the other side.

For added oomph, use a mallet to tap the cleaver.

Scoop out the seeds. (To peel off the skin, use a vegetable peeler or paring knife.)

Roast unpeeled squash halves in a 350-degree oven, cut side down, in a glass baking dish with ½-inch of water added. Bake until a paring knife goes in easily (about an hour).

Add butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg or pepper, if you like.