Stuffed Pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are so many different varieties of pumpkins and winter squash. Most of them will work in this recipe. I used the japanese pumpkin, sometimes called the kambocha squash. The pumpkin should be around 4-5 pounds.
Cut the top off the pumpkin. Scrape out all the seeds and part of the pumpkin with a spoon. Take out part of the pumpkin flesh that easily scoops out with a spoon. Discard the seeds and the mushy part (or you can roast the seeds and enjoy). Coarsely chop the rest of the scraped pumpkin, you should have approximately 1 cup.
Peel and chop the potatoes into approximately ¾ inch pieces. You should have approximately 3 cups chopped potatoes.
Julienne the carrot, slice the onion and mince the garlic.
In a large skillet, heat up the oil and butter. Add the onion, carrot and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Add the potatoes, pumpkin, thyme, bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Add ¼ cup water. Cover and cook until the potatoes have softened and are mostly cooked through but still firm. If you overcook the potatoes, they will turn to mush, but you want them to be mostly cooked through. Since pumpkins have such thick skin, it will take a long time for it to cook, and if the stuffing isn't partially cooked, it won't have time to cook through in the center of the pumpkin.
Add the cream, although it's optional. I love the creaminess and flavor the cream gives to the dish.
Season the center of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Place the stuffing into the cavity of the pumpkin.
Cover the stuffing with the top of the pumpkin. Place the stuffed pumpkin onto a rimmed baking sheet. Wrap the pumpkin in two layers of aluminum foil, leaving the top of the pumpkin uncovered.
Roast in the preheated oven for 1½ hours.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges.If you want the pumpkin to stay together in this pretty flower shape, keep the aluminum foil that you used to roast the pumpkin in around the base of the pumpkin. Serve a wedge of pumpkin with some of the potato stuffing. Serve a wedge of pumpkin with some of the potato stuffing.