Not Yo Momma's Brussels Sprouts

By Amanda

Y'all, I had never even TRIED a mofo brussels sprout until maybe two weeks ago. They just sounded so GROSS. So archaic. And anyway, aren't they the most-hated vegetable of all time?

But lately I've been forcing myself to try new things. Like red wine (which I never thought I liked before!) and oysters! So when I was out with a certain bald, bespectacled writer and came across brussels sprouts on the menu at a fancy restaurant, I ordered them.

And they were ... delightful. Imagine my surprise!

So the next time I was at Trader Joe's, I bought some.

Instead of following the microwave-in-bag instructions, I decided to do my own thang.

My thang, naturally, involved BACON.

Here's the recipe:

A bunch of brussels sprouts, rinsed
2 Tablespoons bacon grease
2 Tablespoons butter
I Tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Adjust your oven racks so one is on the bottom position and one is on the top.

Place sprouts in a shallow bowl with a tablespoon of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2-3 minutes. You probably won't notice a difference after this step, but it seems to make the sprouts more tender after the roasting.

Melt the butter and bacon grease in a microwavable bowl and then add the olive oil. Brush a thin layer of this mix over your thinest single-layer baking sheet. (NOT an air-filled baking sheet!) Sprinkle the sheet with salt and pepper.

Slice the brussels sprouts in half and place cut-side down on your baking sheet, like so. Brush the rest of the bacon-butter mixture over the tops and dust them with salt and pepper. Bake - ON THE LOWEST RACK - for 10-15 minutes. Once the bottoms are nice and brown, move the tray to the HIGHEST rack and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Voila. Not your momma's brussels sprouts!

You'll notice this is pretty much the exact same recipe I use for my roasted cauliflower (which is equally delicious) only with the addition of bacon grease. Because everything is better with bacon.

Comments

[rebecca]

this is the only was we eat them anymore. LOVE.

[Elizabeth]

we always have them at Thanksgiving and I love them!

[Carrisa]

I buy the frozen bags of them, nuke them in the bag for 3 mins, cut in half and then roast in the oven with evoo and salt/pepper. Thom will eat the entire bag if I let him. The bacon grease is a nice twist.

Also, here's a recipe for a brussels sprout succotash I saw on Food Network that he's eager for me to try.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/roasted-corn-and-brussels-sprouts-succotash-recipe/index.html

[Blythe]

YUM to brussels sprouts! These look delish.

Here's another variation that I made a couple of Thanksgivings ago and I even the people who turned up their noses at Brussels Sprouts ended up eating them:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Lemon-and-Bacon-233407

[Laura]

Mofo brussels sprout? Really? Ugh.

[Gennie]

I do them with EVOO and prosciutto. Yummy!