Sunday Rewind: Roasting Balls of Heaven

As I have mentioned before, when I was growing up vegetables were cooked within an inch of their lives. If it wasn’t limp or soggy, it wasn’t done. As a consequence, I liked corn (not soggy) and beans and carrots (limp but OK). Very few others were good. The variety of vegetables I was exposed to was both limited by the season, or what was readily canned by the Green Giant. One vegetable I do not recall having until well into my adulthood, was Brussels sprouts.

First, an aside. Yes, it is Brussels sprout. Not Brussel sprout. Not brussel sprout. I didn’t believe it either, but it is Brussels sprout or sprouts.

One day I walked into the cafeteria at work and sat at a table with a friend and co-worker. He had his main dish, a drink and a bowl filled with steamed Brussels sprouts. On top, he had ladled creamy ranch dressing and topped with about a teaspoon of hot sauce. I gave this dish a look. Well, it was really more of a sneer. He noticed, smiled and asked if I liked Brussels sprouts. I replied I didn’t. I still had never tasted one, but the look and their reputation preceeded them.

His response was simply, “They are little balls of heaven!”

Years later I finally tried them. They were served at a local restaurant owned by a famous Celebrity chef and they had been featured on the Food Network. They were served as an appetizer deep fried. Not breaded, just sliced, dropped into hot oil and lightly salted. They were fabulous! I made them at home the next day.

Looking to eliminate some of the oil, but keeping the flavor, I soon learned to roast them.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Beautiful and tasty!

Brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper are the only ingredients.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 min | Servings: 6 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Quarter them. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 30to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html