Brussels

It's time to give credit where credit is due. And I owe credit to John. He loves brussel sprouts and asked me to make them for him numerous times. I refused and said I hated them. My mom made them for our family once during the entire time I grew up - it did not go over well with the kiddies.

So brussel sprout season was coming to a close last year when I decided maybe I'd give 'em a try. You can probably guess the end of the story because I'm posting a gigantic stalk of brussel sprouts on the blog. They are now probably my favorite vegetable. My problem was that I had only had them boiled/steamed, which makes them taste like bitter/gross cabbage. But when they are roasted they taste sweet and delicious. Swoon.

You can find brussel sprouts on the stalk (as seen above) at your local farmers market. They are even fresher that way, and taste amazing.

To roast brussel sprouts, cut off the ends and then cut the sprouts in half. If you like, also add some small potatoes to the roasting pan.

Now toss with lots of olive oil and plenty of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for taste. The salt is really important here - I liken these to healthy french fries when salted properly.

Roast them in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Take them out halfway through (this is the halfway point) and toss so that everything cooks evenly.

Here they are all nice and crispy. I like my brussel sprouts very well done. Trust me, this isn't like with steak where getting it well done is passe. Well done is the way to go here. The leaves that fell off when you threw them in the pan will be almost burnt, but they are delicious too.

Here I am digging into a potato (mostly to check if it was fully cooked). Remember, the potatoes are optional, but the brussel sprouts are mandatory. Enjoy!