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The Kitchn: Bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts are impossibly crispy

By Patty Catalano on

TheKitchn.com

The first time I roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy bits of smoky bacon, I fell in love with these mini cabbage heads all over again. It's a side dish I make again and again -- and here, I've turned those same flavors into the perfect two-bite appetizer. Simply wrap a slice of bacon around each sprout and send them to the oven to get nice and crispy. In 45 minutes, you'll be dunking those bacon-wrapped brassicas in a tangy blue cheese dip.

Tasty tips

1. Buy uniformly sized Brussels sprouts. Similarly sized Brussels sprouts will cook evenly and at the same rate. Hand-select them from your grocer's bulk bin when possible.

2. Use traditional-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon is a favorite for serving alongside scrambled eggs, but stick to thinner, traditionally cut bacon for this recipe. Thick-cut slices are so meaty that they won't crisp by the time the sprouts are done.

3. Don't cut the strips in half. The bacon shrinks in the oven, so use a full strip for each sprout to make sure the veggies remain wrapped.

 

4. Bake wrapped sprouts seam-side down. Arrange bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The ends of the bacon strips will fuse together as the fat renders and the strips crisp.

How to serve bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts

Two-bite bacon-wrapped bundles emerge from the oven sizzling and brown. Blot on paper towels to absorb excess grease, then pile onto a platter alongside a bowl of cool and creamy blue cheese dip. Consider this sauce an upgrade from the sports bar buffalo wing variety.

Crumble your favorite funky, blue-veined cheese into a bowl with equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream, then finish with a squeeze of fresh citrus, which gives the sauce a tangy flavor that compliments the smoky, salty sprouts.

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