The Best Brussels Sprouts You'll Ever Have

Wow, I'll let this recipe speak for itself; take a look...
The Best Brussels Sprouts You'll Ever Have
By Joy Cho of Oh Joy; photos by Bonnie Tsang

Growing up, I never actually had brussels sprouts because my parents only knew how to cook Thai food. But I had heard friends at school talk about them as this terrible vegetable that their moms made them eat. Brussels sprouts get a bad reputation for being bitter and boring, but when roasted, they're pretty amazing. Ironically enough, in the last few years, Brussels sprouts seems to have made a resurgence on restaurant menus as chefs are redefining this vegetable into something that's seriously delicious. My husband and I enjoy these at least once a week, and I love adding a touch of my Thai heritage to the mix. We're huge garlic fans too, and always throw in some extra cloves to roast which is an amazing extra touch of flavor and texture. Here's my go-to recipe...

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Garlic with Thai-Inspired Dressing
(Adapted from Momofuku's recipe)
Serves 2-4 as a side dish

You'll need:
For Brussels Sprouts & Garlic:
A bag of brussels sprouts (about 1 lb)
Olive oil
8-10 cloves of garlic (I like the pre-peeled packets to make it easier)

For Dressing:
1/4 cup of fish sauce (I like Tiparos or Red Boat)
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tbsp. of finely chopped mint
2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro stems
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1 1/2-inch) fresh red Thai chile, thinly sliced crosswise, including seeds

What to do:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack on the upper third.

Cut brussels sprouts in half, length-wise, and toss in a bowl with garlic and enough olive oil to lightly coat all pieces.

Place brussels sprouts with flat-side down (garlic can be tossed in any direction) on a shallow baking pan.

Bake until outer leaves are dark brown and appear crispy. Depending on the size of your brussels sprouts, this could be anywhere from 25-45 minutes, so start watching after 25 minutes and add time as necessary. Then, make a note of the timing for the next batch.

Make dressing while the sprouts are in the oven. Simply combine all ingredients and stir until sugar has dissolved. I like to put it into a small tupperware container and shake it up. Then, you already have the extra dressing in a container to save for next time. Once the brussels sprouts are done, pour into a bowl and lightly toss with dressing. You won't need all of the dressing, so it's great to save for later for your next batch. We've even added the dressing to some roasted potatoes!
Thanks, Joy and Bonnie!

P.S. More best recipes...

(Photos by Bonnie Tsang. Thanks to Shoko for helping with this series)