How to Roast Brussels Sprouts and Recipe Ideas; Roasted with Blue Cheese, With Nuts, With Bacon...

Brussels sprouts – you either love em’ or hate em’ there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground on this one – and according to renowned food scientist Harold McGee, people sensitive to bitter tastes will always find the Brussels Sprouts pretty unpalatable.

Well, I’m happy to count myself in the Brussels Sprouts lover camp, and although I really quite like the December vegetable boiled briefly and tossed with butter – it’s also very good served roasted, and if you’ve never roasted Brussels Sprouts before, it’s very much worth giving it a try.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

• 2 Tbls of olive oil (or preferably, bacon fat, if you’ve got some laying around)
• 1 lb of Brussels sprouts
• Salt and pepper

Instructions (this couldn’t be easier)

1. Preheat your oven to 400
2. You have a choice here, either cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, for quicker more even cooking; or leave them whole. Leaving them whole will result in a more toasted browned exterior, a creamy inside and a longer cooking time – cutting them in half accelerates the process and results in more uniformly cooked-through sprouts. Both methods are good, although I prefer the whole sprout method.
3. Trim any tough outer leaves and cut a thin slice off the end of the stalk of each sprout. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise, if desired. Toss the sprouts with the oil (or liquid bacon fat) and then spread the sprouts on a baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle the sprouts with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and pop em into the oven. (if using cut in half sprouts, position them cut side down on the baking tray)
5. Given the sprouts a shake every ten minutes or so.
6. Halved sprouts are done after 25 or 30 minutes, or when tender throughout.. Whole sprouts are done at between 40 and 50 minutes, or when tender throughout and thoroughly browned on the outside.
7. Season with salt and pepper once again, to taste.
   

Variations

These sprouts are great on their own, but you can add in some additional flavor notes if desired, such as:

• Blue cheese roasted sprouts – Serve these on a platter at the table with a crumbling of blue cheese on top
• Parmesan roasted sprouts – serve with freshly grated parmesan on top
• Herb roasted – sprinkle on some dried thyme or marjoram prior to roasting
• Bacon mixed – cook some bacon separately (cook it prior to roasting and then use the bacon fat for the sprouts) cut it into chunks and mix it with the sprouts prior to serving
• With a béchamel based cheese sauce – on the side
• Roasted sprouts with nuts – serve the sprouts sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds