• Extra Virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt

Production of Brussels sprouts in the United States began in the 18th century, when French settlers brought them to Louisiana.  And, while the variety of Brussels sprouts we know today have been cultivated in Belgium since the late 1300’s, these little beauties have been gracing Italian tables since the Roman Empire.

Brussels sprouts pan roasted with garlic produces one of the most savory and delicious side dishes you can put on your table.   Forget the soggy, boiled little cabbages of your youth.  Proper preparation makes these addictive and pan roasting is one of the easiest methods.  The garlic roasts and becomes fragrant while the natural sugar in the Brussels sprouts caramelizes leaving the outside a tiny bit crunchy, not soft.  The result is savory and delicious.

I like buying my sprouts still on the stalk.  That’s about as fresh as you can find them.  Buying loose Brussels sprouts is a good alternative—select similar-size sprouts, so they’ll all cook at the same time.  Although sprouts can be purchased year-round, they won’t have the sweet, nutty flavor you want until November or December, after the weather gets cold.  The cold air concentrates the sugars.  Look for sprouts that are heavy for their size and dark green with tight leaves.  Yellow is an indication of age; black spots are a sign of fungus. Sprouts should also be hard.  Soft sprouts just won’t have the flavor.

The key in this preparation is the browning, and I can’t emphasize this enough.  You want to brown them almost to the point of burning.  What we are trying to accomplish here is a caramelizing of the sugars.  By using a heavy, slope-sided skillet, you can keep them all browning evenly by constantly tossing.  When zesting the lemon, take care not to get any of the bitter pith – the white flesh right beneath the zest.

Directions:

  1. Remove any loose outer leaves from a pound of Brussels sprouts and cut each in half from the stem side.
  2. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a heavy 12 inch skillet and place over a medium-high heat.
  3. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and brown them thoroughly.
  4. Once the Brussels sprouts are browned, add the garlic, stirring for about 45 seconds.
  5. Add lemon zest and 1/2 cup water to deglaze the pan.
  6. Allow the majority of the water to cook off, salt and pepper to taste and serve.