Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic

With so much hustle and bustle you should treat yourself to the occasional brussel! That's right it's Chef Fresco's inaugural brussel sprout recipe. I'm not sure why I never had much experience with brussel sprouts... oh yeah, it's because my mother is not the fondest of them. And growing up that pretty much ruled out getting introduced the grand ole brussel. Well, not so long ago while attending my first Thanksgiving with my Fiance's family I was introduced to a wonderful dish that opened my eyes to this great vegetable. Well, unfortunately we did not get that recipe but found one online that looked like it included the same main stuff. We gave it a shot and loved it! It's really simple and has a lot of great flavor. They really turned out well - they have such the nice, almost nutty flavor. I think ours could have used another 5 to 10 minutes though (we cooked them for 25) to get a bit more done and maybe a dash more oil. They taste best when they're still nice and hot.
Modified from a couple different Cooking Light recipes. Serves about 6.




To trim Brussels sprouts, discard the tough outer leaves and trim off about 1/4 inch from stems. Don't trim too much from the stems, or the sprouts will fall apart. If you're not a Brussels sprouts lover, try substituting green beans. Be sure to brown the garlic over low heat, because it can burn in a flash.

*Update 11.18.12 - now when we make brussels, we cook the brussels in a covered skillet for about 20 minutes, or until desired tenderness, over medium-high, stirring often. Too keep them from browning too much, we add about 1/2-3/4 cup white wine (just add as needed). Then, we top it with crumbled bacon once everything is mixed.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds trimmed Brussels sprouts, halved (about 6 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine the Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, salt, and pepper. Place sprouts mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at for 25 minutes or until sprouts are crisp-tender.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in juice. Add to sprouts mixture; toss well.