Author Notes: The best thing about this is that it is so quick! The caramelization of the brussels sprouts is delicious and you can vary it a lot, depending on what you like. I think cooking them so that they are still a bright green brings out their natural sweetness, and avoids the cabbagy-sulfuric nasty taste that turn many people off Brussels sprouts. I like roasting garlic along with the brussels sprouts, and you can squeeze the yummy mellowed roasted garlic out of its skin as a little treat in between the crunchy and bright brussels sprouts. I have to thank my friend Ori Cosentino, a professional chef, who turned me on to the idea of pre-heating the baking tray. Check out her food blog at upchefcreek.com. —JORJ
Serves: 2
Ingredients
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1
packet brussels sprouts (the little tub — probably 1.5 cups)
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1
cup chestnuts
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2
tablespoons canola oil
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salt and pepper
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4-6
garlic cloves, whole
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400. Put some oil on a baking sheet and pop it in there to preheat while you prep the brussels sprouts.
- Trim the bottoms, cut the sprouts in half and tear off the outer leaves. Separate the garlic cloves. Put everything in a bowl and toss with some oil, salt and pepper. If you want to, you can also toss in some cumin or carraway seeds at this point — that is a nice variation. The plain salt-and-pepper option is great too, though.
- Take the pre-heated pan out of the oven and quickly spread out the brussels sprouts and garlic cloves. It should sizzle in a satisfying way. Pop em in the oven and set a timer for 6 minutes.
- Spill out the chestnuts on your chopping board — I often use the jarred kind. (Pricey, but delish.) Chop them up roughly. When the timer goes off, add them to the pan with the sprouts, making sure to give everything a good shake to make sure they’re getting browned on all sides. Set the timer for another 6 minutes.
- After the timer goes off, check out your sprouts — are they nicely browned but still a vibrant green? If so, serve em up! If you think they need more browning, pop em back in after another toss for another 6 minutes.