A while back I was out to dinner at a very nice restaurant with one of my friends. They ordered brussels sprouts as a side to their dinner and I asked to try them. I had never eaten them before and even though I thought I might like to try them, I never wanted to buy them if it wasn't something I was sure to like. After-all, brussels sprouts have a very bad reputation!
Low and behold, when done right brussels sprouts can be delicious - sweet, caramelized and when paired with bacon perfect! Brussels sprouts are a excellentsource of vitamin K and C, and also have significant quantities of folate, vitamin A, manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, omega 3 fatty acids and iron among other essential vitamins and minerals.
I definitely wanted to try to make these at home. I thought roasting would be best to take the brussels sprouts from bitter to sweet goodness! The homemade ones didn't disappoint and they are very easy to make too! The Husband claims not to like brussels sprouts, but I can't wait to have him try these! He was out of town for my experiment. I think this would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner.
They were even great as leftovers the next day!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
10 oz package brussels sprouts
4 strips thick cut bacon
1 Tbls butter
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse brussels sprouts and trim the stem end off, cut each in half.
Fry the bacon in an oven safe skillet over medium heat. When the bacon is crisp remove from the pan, cool and crumble.
Reserve about 1 Tbls (or more) of the bacon grease and add the butter to the skillet. Toss in the brussels sprouts and saute until they start to brown (about 5 minutes). Put the skillet in to a 375 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes. Stir the crumbled bacon back into the skillet and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the brussels sprouts are caramelized and fork tender. Serve immediately.
