Roast your Sprouts

If you're looking for something new and different to do with brussel sprouts (and I could suggest that this is a perfect Christmas side dish, using a traditional vegetable in a non-traditional way, thus making everybody happy - but I´m not in a thinking-about -Christmas-dinner-mood yet).... Roast them!

It makes them nutty and savoury and slightly crunchy, and it´s healthier than tossing them with a pound of butter, too.



For 2 (allthough I suppose this could serve 4 as a side dish if you have lots of other things on the table):

500 grams sprouts
olive oil
salt, pepper
optional: a dried herb of choice (I used rosemary but found a little overpowering, I think thyme would be better)
balsamic vinegar
a handful of toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts would all work).

Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Clean your sprouts, and, depending on their size, cut them in halves or quarters. Put them in a roasting dish that can hold them in a single layer and toss with a good glug of olive oil, some salt and pepper and the thyme. Toss everything together. Don´t use too much oil, just enough to give the sprouts a light coating.



Roast for about 40 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then to ensure even browning. Total roasting time will depend on the size of your sprout pieces and on the desired doneness - the longer you roast them, the drier they will be.

After removing them from the oven, let them cool for a couple of minutes, then toss with a tablespoon or 2 of balsamic vinegar, maybe some salt if they need it, and the nuts. Drizzle with a little more olive oil just before serving. This tasted better slightly warm or even at room temperature than piping hot - which makes it an evern more suitable candidate for the stressy Christmas dinner, if I were thinking about these things, that is.