Roasted Brussels Sprouts
By: Giangi Townsend
Published: Sunday, September 5, 2021 - 12:17pm

Ingredients




1½ pounds Brussels sprouts washed and dried
4 thick bacon slices thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic glaze or more to serve
BALSAMIC GLAZE
1 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sugar

Preparation

1 BALSAMIC GLAZE 2 Heat balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat. 3 Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally until the vinegar thickens and is reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 4 Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before serving. If too thick reheat gently for a few seconds over the stove. 5 BRUSSELS SPROUTS 6 Preheat the oven to 400°F. 7 Trim the ends of sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. 8 Arrange brussels sprouts, any loose leaves, bacon, and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to well cover all the sprouts. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread mixture in a single layer. 9 Roast the Brussels sprouts, turning once through cooking, until tender with charred edges around 20 to 25 minutes depending on your oven, be careful not to overcook them or burning the leaves. 10 In a bowl toss the sprouts with the balsamic vinegar. Adjust taste with extra salt and pepper, if needed.

About

Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon. Sweet tangy, caramelized, and savory all in one dish.
This super easy dish is a must-have in your repertoire. Delicious all year round, with the upcoming holiday season just around the corner, this side dish is perfect for small to large gatherings. Originally from Brussels, Belgium as the name implies, they are part of the cabbages family. Rich in minerals, antioxidants as well as high in fiber. Rich in vitamin K, A, C, and folate.
Roasting the sprouts will help to eliminate some of the bitterness as it is counterbalanced with the fat from either the olive oil or in this instance, as well as bacon, rendering them full of flavor. Always baked on a very hot oven, 400F and above. Do pay attention as not to overburn some of the smaller outer leave.
Turning once during baking will unify the cooking process as well as giving them a well-round golden color.
For this recipe, I made a balsamic glaze recipe, however, if you have some excellent store-bought balsamic glaze, then use it. The best balsamic kinds of vinegar come from the Modena and Reggio Emilia regions of Italy. Check the labels when shopping for them.

Balsamic Glaze

Start with a good quality balsamic.
You only need that one ingredient: balsamic vinegar. Even though many recipes call for an added sweetener of some sort — usually sugar or honey. I used regular white sugar to help it t cook faster while adding a hint of flavor to the glaze. You can also use brown sugar if you wish.
However, balsamic vinegar on its own turns into a sweet syrup as it reduces into a syrup-like consistency.
By selecting a good quality balsamic vinegar, it will reduce faster as there is less water added to it.
Cook over medium-low heat, barely simmering, in a small saucepan. It will continue to thicken as it cools off.
Stores well in a glass container and can be refrigerated for up to a month.
If it is too thick, warm over low heat until syrupy again
My suggestion: Make a larger batch than the recipe calls for if you need a lot of it, or halve it. Always excellent on Caprese salad.

TIPS

Select Brussels sprouts that are all of the same sizes. This will prevent undercooking the larger one and burning the smaller sprouts. It does not matter if they are placed in the baking dish cut side up or not as you will turn them halfway thru cooking.
Remove the bottom end and some of the outer leaves if needed.
Season generously with salt and pepper and add more if needed after you have added the balsamic glaze.
Always bake your Brussels sprout at high temperatures. This will avoid soggy sprouts.
The fat either from oil or bacon will remove some of the bitterness and a hot oven will bring out the best of your Brussels Sprouts for you to enjoy.
Spread the Brussels sprouts evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet, avoid overcrowding them.
One helpful hint is that you can assemble the roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon the night before. Simply cover the baking sheet and put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. During the holiday this small tip will come on handy.



Have fun in the kitchen and enjoy this wonderful recipe.