Anonymous wrote:

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Slice the brussels in half and toss them with olice oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer on a jellyroll pan or large casserole dish. (I put a silpat underneat for easier cleaning). Put them in the oven until the house starts to smell really good. Shake the pan a bit to turn them around in the pan. Cook for another minute or two.

You're basically looking to get the outsides of the brussels as browned as they can be without burning. By the time they're browned, the insides should be soft enough to eat.

Ways to mess this up:
- If you leave them in the oven too long without shaking the pan, the sides that are pan side down can burn. You can reduce the chance of this happening by putting them on one of the higher rack settings in your oven.

- If you crowd them in the pan too much, they'll steam instead of roast. They'll still be edible but won't have as rich of a flavor.

Good luck!

Exactly right. Once you've mastered that, for the advanced course, you can toss in other toasty/crispy flavorings, like: thin-sliced shallots, thin-sliced garlic, chopped bacon, pine nuts, red chili flakes ....

Thanks! I've added this to the meal plan for Thursday!

You've really gotta try it with a ton of garlic, bacon fat, a little sesame oil, and red chili flakes!

For weekday meals, I just use salt and pepper. If I'm trying to make a fancier side dish for guests, some combinations I like:

- Roast with some thyme. Finish with lemon juice and grated Parmesan.

- Let the Brussels chill slightly and sprinkle with reduced balsamic vinegar.

- Roast some whole garlic cloves with the brussels. Make a quick vinaigrette with a roasted garlic clove, dijon mustard, and cider vinegar. Toss with the brussels and serve immediately.

- Dice some bacon. Render it in a pan until it is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Toss the brussels in the bacom grease. Roast. Serve sprinkled with the bacon.

- Roast. Finish with walnut oil and blue cheese.

I've never tried it with pine nuts but that seems like a good pairing.

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Slice the brussels in half and toss them with olice oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer on a jellyroll pan or large casserole dish. (I put a silpat underneat for easier cleaning). Put them in the oven until the house starts to smell really good. Shake the pan a bit to turn them around in the pan. Cook for another minute or two.

You're basically looking to get the outsides of the brussels as browned as they can be without burning. By the time they're browned, the insides should be soft enough to eat.

Ways to mess this up:
- If you leave them in the oven too long without shaking the pan, the sides that are pan side down can burn. You can reduce the chance of this happening by putting them on one of the higher rack settings in your oven.

- If you crowd them in the pan too much, they'll steam instead of roast. They'll still be edible but won't have as rich of a flavor.

Good luck!

Exactly right. Once you've mastered that, for the advanced course, you can toss in other toasty/crispy flavorings, like: thin-sliced shallots, thin-sliced garlic, chopped bacon, pine nuts, red chili flakes ....

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Slice the brussels in half and toss them with olice oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer on a jellyroll pan or large casserole dish. (I put a silpat underneat for easier cleaning). Put them in the oven until the house starts to smell really good. Shake the pan a bit to turn them around in the pan. Cook for another minute or two.

You're basically looking to get the outsides of the brussels as browned as they can be without burning. By the time they're browned, the insides should be soft enough to eat.

Ways to mess this up:
- If you leave them in the oven too long without shaking the pan, the sides that are pan side down can burn. You can reduce the chance of this happening by putting them on one of the higher rack settings in your oven.

- If you crowd them in the pan too much, they'll steam instead of roast. They'll still be edible but won't have as rich of a flavor.

Good luck!

I've never roasted brussel sprouts but would like to try this year. Can someone share how they do it.

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with boiled sprouts?

Nothing, they just taste good other ways too. Everyone's got their favorites. I happen to like other ways of preparing veggies better.

I also feel like my diet has gotten better when I moved from adding a lot of flavoring and fat to my starches and meat, and leaving my veggies bland (e.g. dinner of my childhood: fried chicken, mashed potatoes with cream and butter, plain microwaved frozen veggies), to saving the flavoring and fat for the veggies (e.g. grilled chicken breast, brussel sprouts with a little bacon and balsamic, roast fennel and carrots with olive oil), because now I'm going back for seconds on veggies!

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with boiled sprouts?

If they're slightly overcooked, 50% of people can't stand them.