comment icon 93 more comments On our Washington, D.C. weekend getaway, I found various forms of brussels sprouts on every restaurant menu. Caramelized, roasted, chopped, sauteed, braised, you name it. And obvi, I ordered all of them. But there was only one that really made my heart flutter, and that was the caramelized brussels sprouts. How can a real live person say no to that crispy, golden exterior? So lightly sweet and so perfect. And this is still a VEG-E-TA-BLE we’re talking about here. Brussels sprouts are totally trendy right now, so in addition to being delicious and 150% cute, if you like them you get a free pass to the Cool Kidz Club because of their built-in awesomeness. And a bonus 200 cool person points for caramelizing them with a sweet maple orange sauce. And crumbling bacon all over them. And yeah, I’m serious. I made these three different times because I am kind of picky about texture. The first time, they were sure crispy alright. Like, CRISPY crispy. My oven is a leetle bit over-zealous, and it’s all my oven. Totally all my oven. The second time, they were smushy and soft when sauteed on the stovetop. Not so much, friends. We’re looking for the light crunch factor here. So the final time, when I got the crunch just right but not too much, it was by doing this: That’s right, cut side down, in the pan. Not ideal for my lazier moments, because you have to literally place them one. by. one. in the pan. It requires moving your hands for at least two minutes, which… I know. WHAT IS THIS. It’s like I became your bossy Jillian Michaels. But the one on one attention to place each of them down in the pan is so worth it. They browned evenly on the cut side, cooked just enough to be fork tender on the back side, and then just sizzled to a perfect caramelization state when I added the sauce. Angels singing? I hear it too. LALALALALALA. This plus bacon plus Parmesan equals done. Delicious and done. And keep barking up that brussels sprouts tree because –> Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad with Chicken and Walnuts Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad with Creamy Shallot Dressing Bacon and Brussels Sprout Salad Zinggg. 4.9 from 15 reviews
