How To Make Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts Like A Pro

Brussels sprouts have a great flavor and texture. They go great with smoked or roasted chicken and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 lb brussels sprouts

1 shallot

3 cloves garlic

Pinch or two kosher salt

Pinch black pepper

2 oranges, zest of 1 and juice of both

2 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 oz parmesan cheese

1/8 c avocado oil

Tools needed:

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Measuring cups and spoons

Microplane zester

Large saute pan

Colander

Tongs

How to make it:

First, wash the sprouts under cold running water and let air dry. Cut the stem end off getting rid of any discoloration and cut each sprout in half. Keep any leaves that fall off as they crisp nicely during the cooking process.

Mince the shallot and garlic.

Heat your large saute pan over medium high heat for about 1 minute.  If the pan starts to smoke or gets too hot, it will burn the sprouts rather than caramelizing them. If the oil gets too hot, it will start to smoke and give the sprouts an off flavor. If needed, remove the pan from heat to cool and continue forward. Add the oil and the brussels sprouts.  Add a pinch salt and cook the sprouts for around 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally. If the pan and the sprouts get too dry, add a little more oil. The point of pan roasting vegetables, and in this case, brussels sprouts, is you need to have a good amount of oil in the pan. This will help distribute the heat in the pan to the sprouts helping them brown and caramelize. Cook the sprouts stirring occasionally to avoid burning. This process happens really quickly and it is easy to go from caramelized to burned rather quickly. Make sure that the sprouts get cooked evenly on both sides flipping any over when needed using your tongs. The sprouts are ready for the next step when they have a good golden brown color to both sides, especially the cut side of the sprout since it has more surface area. 

Once the sprouts are browned nicely, reduce heat to medium low and make a well in the middle of the pan.  Add the butter and melt thoroughly. Add the shallots, garlic, ground black pepper and a small pinch of salt.  The salt will help draw moisture from the shallots and garlic and they will go from having a sharp acidity to nice and sweet profile to them. Continuously stir them to keep from burning and sweat 30 seconds to get the rawness off them.  Add the orange zest and juice, cover the pan with a lid.  Reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until the sprouts are soft enough so a fork can easily pierce them with no resistance.  Once softened, turn off the heat and grate the cheese with the microplane covering all the sprouts.  Place the pan lid back on for about a minute to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Logan