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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. 

1. Given their name sake, the “b” in Brussels sprouts is always capitalized,

2. 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!