Sauteed Brussel sprouts with bacon
High heat, leave them alone, let the cut sides caramelize. The sauteed Brussels sprouts method that actually works, with bacon fat doing most of the work.
Brussels sprouts have a reputation problem that comes almost entirely from the boiled version. Boiled Brussels sprouts are genuinely bad. They go grey, they smell, and they taste like a damp Tuesday. Sauteed Brussels sprouts are a completely different thing. The cut sides caramelize in the pan, the outside goes a bit crispy, and the bacon fat does most of the seasoning for you. It's one of the easiest sides you can make and it looks like you put in actual effort.
The key is heat and patience. You have to leave them alone.
Ingredients (serves 2 as a side)
- 300g Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, halved
- 100g bacon, cut into small pieces or lardons
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- A small splash of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to make it
Start with a cold pan and no oil. Add the bacon and put it on medium heat. Letting the pan heat up gradually with the bacon already in it renders the fat out slowly and gives you crispier bacon. Once the pieces are crispy and golden, take them out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the fat in the pan.
Turn the heat up to high. Add the olive oil to the bacon fat -- just a small splash, there's already fat in the pan. When it's hot, add the Brussels sprouts cut-side down in a single layer. Don't touch them.
This is the part most people get wrong. Leave them for 5 to 7 minutes. They'll steam a bit first, then start to colour. You want them to go dark brown and slightly charred on the cut side -- that's not burnt, that's where the flavour is. Only move them when the cut sides have properly caramelized.
Toss them around, lower the heat to medium, and add the garlic. Cook for another minute, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the bacon back in, toss everything together, taste for salt and pepper.
That's it.
A few thoughts
On the heat: The biggest mistake is cooking them on medium heat because it feels "safer." Medium heat steams them. High heat caramelizes them. They need to be in a properly hot pan on the cut side without moving. Set a timer if you need to, otherwise you'll be tempted to poke at them.
On the bacon: Cold pan start matters here. It gives the fat time to render out before the meat browns, so you end up with more usable fat in the pan and crispier bacon. Hot pan with bacon gives you browned outside and chewy inside.
On the smell: Brussels sprouts release sulfur compounds when they cook, especially when boiled. At high heat in a dry pan it's much less pronounced and fades quickly. If your kitchen smells while you're cooking them, it'll clear before you sit down to eat. Worth it.
On variations: A squeeze of lemon at the end is good. So is a small spoon of grainy mustard stirred in with the garlic. I've also done this with pancetta instead of bacon when I had it -- works exactly the same way.