Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Tis the season for Brussels sprouts, and I will be cooking this cruciferous vegetable all winter long. They are one of my favorites - a veggie that resembles a baby cabbage and is named after the Belgian city where I spent four years of my childhood. Why wouldn’t I have an affinity for Brussels sprouts?
But, before we go any farther, allow me to enlighten you with a quick grammatical lesson on this vegetable.
Given their name sake, the “b” in Brussels sprouts is always capitalized,
There is always an “s” on the end of Brussels in Brussels sprouts.
Now that we got that squared away, let’s move on. Generally, my favorite way to prepare Brussels sprouts at home is to roast them in the oven covered in a little olive oil, kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper. They stay in there for about 25-30 minutes (depending) at 375 F until charred. I love the flavor that comes from roasting vegetables. The individual leaves that fall off of the sprouts and almost burn to a crisp are the best part!
Given my desire to cook more with in-season produce and expand my recipe repertoire, I took inspiration from Ina Garten’s dish for Brussels Sprouts Lardons. Boiling vegetables is not my favorite way to cook them. However, there’s bacon in this dish. And I’m a believer that bacon makes everything better.
My ingredients and quantities varied slightly from Ina’s recipe. For Ina’s original recipe click here. I used bacon instead of pancetta as well as cranberries in lieu of golden raisins. These were the ingredients I had on hand, and I think the dish turned out great. I loved the smokiness from the bacon mixed with the sweetness from the cranberries while the Brussels sprouts provided balance and pulled it all together.
This side dish is a keeper. Enjoy!
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces thick but bacon, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trim the ends off and cut the Brussels sprouts in half length-wise
- Kosher salt
- Freshly grated black pepper
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 3/4 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the diced bacon.
- Cook over medium heat until the bacon is crisp.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel.
- Add the Brussels sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Sauté the Brussels sprouts over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Add the cranberries and chicken stock.
- Once the pan comes to a simmer, lower the heat and continue to cook uncovered until the sprouts are tender and most of the chicken stock has evaporated - about 15 minutes. You want the Brussels sprouts to be tender when pierced with a fork.
- Return the bacon to the pan and incorporate with the Brussels sprouts.
- Season to taste and serve warm.
