By now we all know that Brussels sprouts are delicious. (Right?) They are fantastic braised with pancetta or bacon, scrumptious blanched and tossed with pasta, and unexpectedly tasty shredded and served as a salad with walnuts and pecorino. I recently tried this to-die-for recipe for fried Brussels sprouts with a honey-sriracha sauce. It was a lot of work and a lot of mess, but completely amazing.
Basically, I could eat Brussels sprouts every day in the fall and winter, and my favorite fallback, everyday way to chow down on these nutty nuggets is to roast them. It’s simple and oh so good. There are two tricks. First, make sure the sprouts are nicely browned; don’t take them out of the oven too soon. Second, make sure you salt them enough. As one of my friends said, they should taste like popcorn.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Yields 4 servings
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, tough ends trimmed off
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut each of the sprouts in halves or fourths length-wise. You want all of the pieces to be about the same size. Place the sprouts on the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Roast until the sprouts are nicely browned, 30-35 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper if necessary. Don’t be shy with the salt!
Jenna Helwig, founder of Rosaberry, is a recipe developer, freelance writer, personal chef, and culinary instructor. She lives and cooks in Brooklyn with her husband and six-year-old daughter.
