Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage, Cream & Bacon

Ingredients:
For The Butternut Squash:
3 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cubed
6 tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

For The Soup:
4 Shallots, chopped
12 Large Garlic Cloves, chopped
6 Fresh Sage Leaves
6 tbsp. Olive Oil    
9 cups Vegetable Broth (Ok, so I use pacific foods low sodium vegetable broth. One carton is 32oz. / 4 cups. I get three cartons, and use the remainder of the last container if I need to thin the soup out at the end)
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
3/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
6 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper
1 package Bacon
1 bunch  Fresh Sage Leaves

Instructions:
For The Soup:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash, olive oil, maple syrup, and a sprinkle of kosher salt until squash is evenly coated
3. Arrange in a single layer on a large roasting pan, and roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through, until they squash is fork tender
4. Once done, remove from oven, and set aside
5. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat
6. Add in shallots and cook until soft
7. Add in sage and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes
8. Add in vegetable broth, and roasted squash
9. Using an immersion blender purée contents of the pot
10. Once puréed, stir in nutmeg and ginger
11. Season with salt and pepper 
12. Add in butter
13. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes on low heat, occasionally stirring
14. At this point, thin out soup with remaining vegetable broth if needed, and season again with salt and pepper to taste
15. Add in heavy cream and stir until combined
16. Season with salt and pepper (optional)
17. Serve hot and topped with a dash of heavy cream, fried sage leaves, and bacon

For The Toppings:

1. Place bacon in cold pan, work in batches if you need to
2. Cook bacon over low heat, flipping the pieces over when they start to curl
3. Keep flipping bacon periodically until you’ve got good crispiness
4. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate, and set aside
5. Between batches, pour off excess bacon grease
6. Once bacon is done, reduce your flame to low and using the last batch of bacon fat, place a few sage leaves in at a time
7. Crisp for about 3 seconds per side
8. Transfer to paper towel lined plate