Confession: I would make a terrible vegetarian.
Not only do I <3 LOVE <3 a an extensive variety of meats, I am just *NOT* a fan of most vegetables. (My hubby says I hate veggies, but that’s not TOTALLY true – I just don’t like very many of them.)
To be perfectly honest, most of the vegetables I DO like are either technically fruits (like tomatoes & avocados) , should be classified as a fiber-rich starches (potatoes & corn), OR should be considered desserts (like yams/sweet potatoes – well, at least the way I’ve always eaten them…).
However, since starting low carb, my tastes have changed a bit, and I have come to realize that they SHOULD probably change even more. Perhaps even mature a bit…?
I kept seeing recipes for oven-roasted Brussels sprouts that actually looked pretty good tasty, so when I spotted Brussels sprouts while on a Costco run before Easter, I decided to buy a bag and try them. Worst case scenario, I knew my not-picky-at-all hubby would be happy to eat every last one if I wouldn’t couldn’t stomach them. 😉
Mind you, I’d never tasted one, let alone prepared them before, but I’m a confident cook (albeit super picky).
The Brussels sprout recipe that looked best to me was oven roasted and topped fresh grated Parmesan.
The bag was pretty big, so I took out half (about 2 pound), then rinsed, dried, then cut the adorable mini cabbages in half. After tossing them with olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, I spread them on a greased cookie sheet to bake. They started off smelling pretty funky, but as the loose leaves began to brown, the aroma became more pleasant, almost nutty. When I got them out to stir them, I sampled a couple of the individual browned leaves and (surprisingly!) thought they were quite tasty. So when the halved sprouts had started to brown nicely on tops and bottoms, I decided it was time to pull them from the oven and tossed them with the shredded Parmesan.
The few loose leaves were overdone, but still tasted decent. The halved sprouts weren’t bad, but they didn’t exactly inspire me to want to make them again any time soon… Needless to say, the remaining 1/2 bag of sprouts ended up in the garage fridge where good food sometimes goes bad.
While “shopping” in the garage fridge this week, I spotted the remaining half-bag of sprouts. I was almost disappointed that they were still fresh, but then I noticed that they were sitting beside a pack of our favorite thick-sliced bacon. BACON… (I sound like Homer Simspon drooling over donuts!)
Seriously, there are precious few meals that aren’t improved by adding/including bacon, and it was one of the reasons I decided to give low-carb a try (any eating plan that includes bacon can’t be ALL bad!).
While I was planning what to do with the sprouts, I cooked a big pack of bacon. A while back, my folks got us a nifty electric skillet (not an affiliate link). They had done a lot of cooking in theirs with a minimal kitchen (from our basement “next gen” suite to their motorhome), and thought we might like one too. At first I didn’t bother much with it… I mean, had a full kitchen, I didn’t really NEED an electric skillet. But after having BLTs with them, I was impressed with the great job it did with bacon! Because it was square-ish with deep sides, the bacon fit beautifully and cooked evenly, but didn’t splatter grease over every bit of the stove. So I fell in love with using it to cook bacon, and it became an essential tool – even more important now that we have a gas stove. (Ugh.)
So while the bacon sizzled away, I rinsed, dried, and trimmed the sprouts. Then I decided to quarter then instead of just halving them, because to me, the only parts that tasted good were the little leaves that had separated and gotten crisp (almost chip-like), OR the really tiny ones that had browned all over. The rest were just too… gummy…? and the boiled cabbage flavor was too overwhelming. Increasing the surface area that could soak up the bacon essence and get caramelized and crisp seemed logical.
Once the bacon was done, I poured off all but about 2 Tbsp of the bacon grease out of the electric skillet‘s spout and into a foil-lined bowl, leaving all the tasty little brown bits in the pan since that’s some mega “flavortown.” (NOTE: Sometimes we keep the fat for cooking other dishes, like Bacon-Roasted Cauliflower, sometimes we toss it… really depends on the current stock on hand). Then I tossed QUARTERED sprouts in the hot pan with the bacon grease, and added kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I pan-fried them (stirring occasionally) until they were starting to brown nicely. Right before serving, I drizzled on the balsamic vinegar and added chopped bacon (3 strips).
They were SO GOOOOOD!! Like really, REALLY, REALLY good, looking forward to making them again DELICIOUS!! Tender but with crisp bits, tons of great flavors from the bacon and seasonings… Hubby loved them, I loved them, and even my kids weren’t grossed out to try them. (There was BACON, after all!) The younger (admittedly more adventurous) eater thought they were good enough he actually took a second helping.
Ingredients:
2 lbs Brussels’ Sprouts
1/2 lb of your favorite bacon (we love Wrights!)
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly ground Pepper to taste
Directions:
While the bacon cooks in a large frying pan or deep skillet (we love this electric skillet not an affiliate link), rinse the sprouts and pat them dry, trim off brown spots/ends, and peel off any wilted leaves. Quarter the sprouts so they’re all approximately the same size (we have had a few large ones that needed to be cut down further).
When the bacon is done, remove carefully from pan to drain on paper towel-lined plate.
Pour off most of the grease into a heat-safe container (we use a heavy duty foil-lined bowl), leaving about 2 Tbsp of fat and the brown bits in the pan.
Add the sprouts to the hot pan, sprinkle with salt (which will help add flavor and draw out the moisture) and sautee until caramelized (browned nicely).
While the sprouts cook, chop 3 strips of bacon into small pieces.
When they’re nicely caramelized, add fresh ground pepper and bacon bits, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, stir, and serve hot. Enjoy!
