Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; position the rack in the center of the oven. Lightly oil a baking dish for the squash.

Halve lengthwise and remove the seeds and strings from the two butternut squash.

Arrange the squash cut side up in the baking dish and brush lightly with 1 Tbspn vegetable oil.

Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake until almost tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Keep the oven on.

Crumble into a skillet and cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink.

Without draining off the fat, add the apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes.

Cook, stirring, for several minutes, until tender. Remove from heat.

When the squash is cooked, let it cool slightly, then scoop out most of the flesh, leaving 3/8 inch thick shells. Lightly mix the squash pulp into the sausage mixture, breaking up the squash as little as possible.

Mix in: 2 Tbspns of softened butter; 1 Tbspn packed dark brown sugar, 1/4 tspn ground sage, salt and pepper to taste.

Pile the stuffing into the squash halves and dot with: 1 Tbspn butter cut into small pieces, 1 Tbspn packed dark brown sugar.

Bake uncovered until piping hot and brown and crusty on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool several minutes before serving.